Untested
by Patricia de Lioncourt
Summary: Adriana Smith is just a normal girl...or so she thinks. However, as her mother and she move into a house known as Belmont Manor and a strange storm and decoration enter her life, she will find that her mother has not told her the truth of her family...
1. Prologue

A/N- Ah, my newest Castlevania fic. Now, as for Castlevanian Wizard, I will finish that, I'm just looking for inspiration. Now, this fic is set in modern day times. I hope everyone enjoys. And this prologue is a bit misleading…anyhow, enjoy!

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Prologue 

Sophy Belmont was a pair of double doors, an aisle, and a ceremony away from finally ridding herself of the Belmont name. It's a shame that her family could not be here to witness this glorious event, the wedding of their daughter. However, she was sure their feelings on the matter would've been different than hers.

Sophy and her family had had a falling out a few years ago. Of course, if you were the oldest child in a family who always counts on the oldest being male, you'd have issues too. It wasn't that she hadn't been loved, but maybe that they loved her a bit too much.

The tradition of the Belmonts…the legacy of vampire hunting…was never passed to her. It was not what her father or her mother had wanted. They had expected to have a boy first off, pass the symbol of their legacy--the whip, the Vampire Killer--to their son and be done with it. However, things did not go as planned. Sophy had been the first born. A beautiful baby of nine pounds, six ounces, she was loved even more when she grew to have long blonde hair and bright amber eyes. Her father had never offered the whip to her.

"We'll just give it to our first son," she had overheard her father telling her mother once. "She'll grow up to be a normal, happy girl. She will never be troubled by the horrors of vampire hunting. Of fighting Dracula…"

And so she lived without the whip and without the duties of vampire hunting. Then, when she was thirteen, her brother was born. Oh, the happiness that had filled the house that day. It was finally time for her parents to do what they needed to ensure the survival of the Belmonts. They could pass the whip to a son.

However, things did not go as planned. The whip, apparently, had refused to accept Sophy's younger brother as the next Belmont. She had watched through a partially opened door as her father had held the whip out to her brother. The whip, then, had grown white-hot--burning her father's hands--and flew back to it's place on the wall.

She had gasped, causing her family to look at her. She retreated quickly to her room. Even at the age of thirteen, she did not know the full measure of what this had meant, but she knew that it was bad.

A year of arguments between her mother and father later, her father finally came to her one night. Knocking on the door, he asked politely for entrance.

"Yeah, come in, Dad," Sophy had said, agreeably.

Her father had entered the room awkwardly, running his hand through his hair over and over again. Finally, he came over and sat down upon her bed.

"Sophy…" he began quietly. Then, finding his voice, he continued, "Dearest…we--that is, your mother and I--have been trying to avoid this for as long as you've been alive. But…we see now that we made a mistake. The whip is yours. It must be."

"What's so important about that old whip, anyhow?" she had asked.

For as long as Sophy had been alive, they had also never told her of the legacy that should've been hers. With a whispered voice, her father explained the Belmont Family's ancient duties to her. At the end of the long, long story, she had laughed.

"Nice story, Dad. Now, really, what's so important about that whip?" she had asked.

When her father's grave voice did not answer her, she had gasped.

"You're telling me the truth? Vampire hunting…? And you want me to do this?" she asked, throwing off her bedcovers and pacing her floor.

Her father had just nodded. Sophy had shook her head.

"No. I won't do it. I don't want to."

"Sophy! You must!" her father gasped.

She shook her head again. "No."

And then there was two more years of arguing in Belmont Manor, before finally, Sophy couldn't take it anymore. In the still of a summer night, she had climbed down a trellis under her window and had seen her family or that whip no more.

Now, at the age of twenty-one, Sophy watched as her bride's maids walked slowly up the aisle. Two years ago, Sophy had met and fallen in love with an American by the name of Jared Smith, the dark haired, blue eyed man that Sophy could see standing nervously at the alter.

Smith. Now that was a nice, common name. One she could enjoy for the rest of her life. As the Wedding March started up, Sophy felt the smallest pang of guilt. For the first time, she felt it toward her family. Quickly disposing of the guilt with a smile and her first step up the aisle, she had one thought that eased it.

Perhaps she would give her first child a family name?

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End Notes: Okay, that was short, but I liked it. Did it flow? Anyhow, please R & R! Thanks! 


	2. Words Long Forgotten

A/N- I'm glad that everyone enjoyed that first chapter. Now, Sophy, although the story did start with her, is not the main character. Now you get to meet the main character. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1- Words Long Forgotten 

Adriana Smith climbed down from the passenger's seat side of a large moving truck. This fifteen year old girl removed her black sunglasses to stare up at what was to become her home. Her blue eyes were cold as she put the glasses back on. It was chilly where they, her and her mother, were now. This made her regret the fact that she had cut her blonde hair so short. They had moved from their suburban home in America to this small, isolated corner of Romania.

It had been a bad, bad last few weeks for the Smith Family. Two weeks ago, Adriana had suffered the death of her father, Jared. Her mother, Sophy, had been a wreck. A day later, a telephone call would change everything for her. Adriana still remembered how her mother had picked up the phone with such fear. It was as if she feared the destruction of another part of her world. The phone call had been a lawyer of some sort, calling to tell Sophy that her parents had passed on and that their family residence had fallen to her. Funnily enough, Adriana's mother had not taken this news so badly. She had simply made the decision that they were going to leave to live in this new home. What she had neglected to tell her daughter at the time was that it was out-of-country.

Of course, she had also neglected to tell her that the "family home" was a freakin' mansion! Approaching a sign at the end of the long walkway, Adriana mentally corrected herself. It was not a mansion. It was a manor. The young girl wiped some dirt off the little worn wood sign that called Adriana's new home "Belmont Manor." She then turned to stare at her mother, who was pulling some large boxes out of the moving van.

"So, Mom," Adriana called, "how come you never told me that you were Romanian? Come to think of it, you never told me much about _your_ family."

Her mother walked up the walkway, throwing her long, braided blonde hair over her shoulder.

"I guess it was need-to-know. I didn't know you needed-to-know. Besides, it's not like I have any of the features of any normal Romanians." she smiled. Sighing, she added, "Yeah. I grew up here. Do you like it? I know you miss our home back in America, but I think it'll do us good to start a new life. You know, not cling to old, sad memories."

Adriana huffed in reply. Her mother sighed again. She had been doing this a lot lately. Especially in regards with her daughter.

"Whatever. Look, I have already picked out my bedroom. I did that last week. It's the one with the cross carved on the door. Why don't you go explore the house and pick yours out? Then, you can come back and help me unpack," she said.

"You know, we could've gotten moved in faster had you let me come with you last week and pick my room," Adriana pointed out.

At this, her mother grew dark. Pushing her daughter a bit into the entrance hall of the house, she said firmly, "Just go pick your room."

Adriana sighed and went further into the house. She looked quickly about. Apparently, her grandparents had been art lovers because the every wall as far as she could see was covered in art of some sort. Paintings, sculptures, everything. As she approached one of the paintings, she saw that that particular one, and the others as far as she could tell, were nothing too special. They were well done, yes, but they were of general things like landscapes and fruit.

"Oh, and, Ria!" her mother called for her, "don't go into the attic. The floors look pretty old. I don't know if they could support a person!"

"Okay!" she shouted back.

She took the sturdy staircase two steps at a time. Upon arriving on the second floor, she quickly chose the room at the end of the hall as hers. She liked it because of the window seat it had that overlooked the forest beside their house. It already had a bed and such in it. In fact, most of the house was already furnished. They had really only had to bring a few appliances and their personal items with them.

She then left her room behind. Her next destination…the attic. Her mother seemed very up-tight about this place, and she was going to find out why. Making sure her mother could not see her from the bottom of the stairs, Adriana bounded up, not stopping until she was inside the musty old attic. Once there, she had to stoop to fit. A cobweb fell, and she quickly brushed it off of her blue jeans. A few more steps in, her peasant blouse sleeve caught on a nail. She got herself free and felt herself stumble backwards. She took off the backpack she had carried some of her more personally valuable items in and sat it on the floor. Then, she began her scan of the attic.

There was nothing too out of the ordinary up there. Some old dresses hanging on display dummies, and it looked as though her mother had moved some of the house's furniture up there. However, an old trunk soon caught Adriana's eye. Leaving a trail in the thick dust and dirt, she made her way over to it. It was locked, but the lock itself was rusty. Taking a quick look over her shoulder, she brought up her foot and used the heel of her shoe to break the lock. It did so easily. She opened it eagerly.

It was clothing. Old clothing. She sighed. But then, a thought hit her. Who locks a trunk with just old clothes in it? Especially when it wasn't going to be traveling? Adriana gave a silent prayer against encountering spiders and began feeling around the clothing. Soon enough, her fingers hit something hard that wasn't the bottom of the trunk. She found the edges of the thing and pulled. In her hands now was what appeared to be a very old book. Flipping through it, she found it to be a diary or journal of sorts. However, from what she could see in the dim lighting of the attic, the writing was small and varied in style. The book was thick as well.

"Adriana! Ria! Are you ever coming back to help me?" her mother's voice called.

Adriana shut the trunk quickly and did not dare call back to her mother until she was out of the attic.

"I'm coming!" she replied. "Give me a minute!"

"Okay!"

Adriana rushed into the room she had chosen for herself and slid the book and her backpack under the bed. Then, composing herself, she walked downstairs to help her mother.

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End Notes: Adriana, funny family name, huh? Anyway, what was that mysterious book in the attic? Will Adriana ever get to read it? Find out next time! Please review! 


	3. Foul Things

A/N- Sorry for the long wait! Now, this chapter won't have Adriana in it, but some familiar characters. Please enjoy!

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Chapter 2- Foul Things 

That night, while Adriana was nestled in her room and Sophy sound asleep in her bed, foul happenings were brewing. Deep within the forest known to the villagers as Eternal Night, a procession of men--walking hunched over, as if trying to bow and walk at the exact same moment--entered a ruined mausoleum. The stone roof and parts of the walls were missing from the tomb, but in the center--perfectly intact--was a granite coffin. The black-robed men encircled the tomb, muttering in a low, strange language. The last to enter the crypt was a tall man, with no hair atop his head and paraffin skin. He wore light armor of olden days and crossed his arms in a very deliberate stance.

"We'll make this quick," he said to the other men.

The men did nothing to acknowledge that they had heard him. They simply continued to chant. However, he knew that they heard. The chanting got louder. They were all now swaying. The man, or rather creature, that had been the last to enter, stepped forward and shoved one of the garbed men forward, breaking the circle. The robed man appeared in a daze. Slowly, he raised a dagger. His fellow chanters bowed down in such a way that it was unsure whether they were shielding themselves or revering something. The man closest to the coffin brought the dagger down and swiftly slit his own throat. Gracefully, he fell into the open casket. He gasped in pain as something unseen happened. The robed men looked up fearfully, but none held their curious gazes too long. The dying man's breath quicken and then stopped altogether. Suddenly, his lifeless body was flung back, over the man in the armor's head, whose eyes were lit oddly bright with excitement.

"Orlox…" leaked a voice from within the coffin.

"My Lord Dracula," the armored man replied, taking the smallest of steps forward.

"Why…is it you who has summoned my Dark Priests?" the voice asked.

"You are not fully regenerated…" Orlox said, ignoring his lord's question. He stepped forward, over the coffin, and pulled another priest toward him. "Feed from this one. That should be sufficient."

A skeletal thin hand, enclosed with a fine black garment, reached up and pulled the quietly whimpering priest toward him. However, when Dracula had had his fill of this one, he was not dead. He was simply pushed away. Then, Dracula sat up. He was now fully regenerated, his long blond locks falling about his nobleman's garb. Orlox smiled.

"You did not answer my question, Orlox," Dracula said.

"I cannot. Not yet. Not fully. First--" Orlox said, throwing up his hands, "I SUMMON DEATH!"

Dracula raised an eyebrow but said nothing. A tiny whirlwind appeared beside Dracula's coffin and shortly, so did Death. He floated a foot or so about the ground, his skull appearing to smirk from beneath the hood of his cloak, with his scythe held lightly in one gaunt hand.

"Why was I summoned by the likes of you?" Death said scathingly.

Orlox's smiled widen to the point of being extremely grotesque. Then, in an unpredictable move, his hand shot out and plucked from around Dracula's neck the radiating red stone known as the Crimson Stone. Dracula's hand, a second too late, came to rest where the stone had once been.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, climbing out of the coffin to tower over Orlox.

Orlox took a few steps back and laughed. "This is your power source, then? It is true! Your power is a borrowed one! I will now restore the true Master of the Night!" he said.

"What are you talking about?" Death asked slowly.

Orlox stared at him and blinked. "Oh! I think you know! The vampire that used to terrorize the night before the almighty "Lord Dracula" came about! He spoke to me! Yes! He told me about how he was cheated by his former servant, Death, and imprisoned. Doomed to live his eternal live with sight and comprehension, but no interaction. I will now restore the great Walter Bernhard!"

Both Death's and Dracula's eyes widened. Dracula was the first to recover.

"He was destroyed…long before your time," he said.

"No, he wasn't! And Death knows the truth!" Orlox announced confidently.

"And how to you plan to free him? It's impossible," the specter said with Dracula looking incredulously on.

"Is it?" Orlox said.

Holding out the stone, it glowed brightly once and Death's scythe flew from his hand to Orlox's. Orlox laughed at Death's implied emotion of shock.

"You didn't know that you tied yourself to the stone as well, did you? Now--" Orlox said, throwing the stone to the ground and raising the scythe about his head, "return from your prison, Walter!"

With a mighty swing, Orlox brought the weapon down and cleanly cracked the Crimson Stone in two. From within the jagged edges, a colored mist rose and took the form of a man in red armor with long red hair. And he was laughing. He stooped, picked up the pieces of the stone, and pocketed them. Then, he took the scythe from Orlox and brandished it playfully in front of himself.

"Walter," Dracula hissed.

"Yes. I've returned to rightly retake what is mine. And I have an advantage that you don't. Not only do I have your power and Death's weapon…I have the knowledge of the ages in which you have slumbered! The Stone never sleeps, Dracula!" Walter laughed.

Suddenly, a light brighter than any in that tomb could bear shined out, followed by a cry of, "Run, Lord Dracula! You will face these fiends later!"

When the light vanished, only Death remained as Walter and Orlox's prisoner. Walter reached out, grabbed Death, and shoved him into Orlox's grip.

"I have a fate worthy of you. Trapped in your own dimension!" Walter said, slice at the air to reveal--what appeared to be--a colored gap before them.

With a mighty shove, Death was propelled by Orlox into the gap and it closed. Orlox turned to Walter and bowed.

"I am your most humble servant. What do you require?" he asked.

"I require a hunter. Someone capable of tracking down and capturing Dracula to bring him back to me," Walter said.

Orlox thought for several moments. Finally, he spoke.

"I know of only one capable enough. However, he was extremely loyal to Dracula and mortal. He is long dead."

"Then it looks like we have another resurrection to perform, doesn't it?"

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End Notes: Okay, what do you think? I like this chapter a lot. It came out a lot better than what I thought it would. And I bet you are all wondering who the "hunter" is going to be! Please review! 


	4. Midnight Reading

A/N- Well, I'm back with another chapter! Now, about my forum for my fanfiction, occasionally, I'll post little spoilers or bits of info about certain fics under the appropriate thread. Drop by and take a look, if you like! By the way, if you have not completed Curse of Darkness, beware of the spoilers ahead. Anyhow, please enjoy this chapter!

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Chapter 3- Midnight Reading 

A bolt of lightning, as if from nowhere--after all, there were no clouds or rain--slashed across the sky, causing Adriana to give a start from her place on her bed. She was kneeling before the thick, musty old book, a dim lamp as her only light. She rubbed her arms, staring out at the spot the lightning had appeared to hit.

"That is so strange," she murmured to herself.

She sat for a moment, just listening. She knew that for some reason this book was forbidden to her, and it was not because some higher force said she could not have it. No. It was forbidden because her mother did not want her to have it or see it, let alone read it. And that made her all the more curious.

After assuring herself that her mother was sound asleep and not waking up for anything, Adriana opened the cover of the book. The first page was that of the equivalent of a title page in a normal book. It said, in very distinct, slanted writing "The Belmont Clan Chronicles." This only served to feed her curiosity. She flipped on. The first entries were by a man by the name of Leon Belmont and dated back to the late 11th century.

Adriana read as a starving man would eat, devouring every word of Leon's, for his story was one of knighthood and bravery and of the love of his friend, Mathias Cronqvist, and his fiancé, Sara. Her last name was unreadable, for most of it was smeared. Only the first letter, a "T," was discernable. And then, his stories and tales took a turn to the weird.

It was odd enough to Ria that the journal was written in English, for that was clearly not Leon's native tongue. But, as his story progressed, Ria began to understand. It was obvious that he did not want just anyone to read this journal…probably for fear of being thought insane. Leon said that his beloved Sara had been kidnapped by a vampire. Of course, he not only boldly stated this, but the vampire's name as well. Walter Bernhard. However, just as Leon's story of his retrieval of Sara drew close to its end…he stopped writing. He stated only that it had become too hard to write this story. Shaking her head with disbelief, Adriana flipped on in the book.

The very next page, at the end of the several pages of Leon's story, was a drawing of a beautiful young woman with raven black and fair skin. She was in a long dress that was blue, white, and lacy. She smiled brightly. Ria knew this to be Leon's lost love not only by the name written at the bottom--simply "Sara,"--but by the description in the story. A note was also below her name, stating that it was a copied portrait from the one in the Gallery.

"Gallery?" Ria muttered aloud.

And then, in flashes, Ria remembered that her mother had been walking through the house after Ria had helped her move some things in, systematically locking doors. Shaking her head again, she read further. She soon found the account of one Sonya Belmont. She, instead of Walter, fought one called Dracula. Of course, where Leon had lost love in his battles, she had gained it. While fighting her way through Dracula's--the self proclaimed "Vampire King,"-- castle, called Castlevania, Sonya met Alucard. He was the half-vampire son of the vampiric king and a human woman. Sonya's love was not unreturned, and she had a son by the dhampire. This led into the accounts of one Trevor Belmont, Sonya's son.

Although he teamed up with his father to defeat his grandfather--all this being unbeknownst to him, Dracula did rear his evil head again in Trevor's lifetime--or at least, not to challenge the Belmont. His second battle, he found himself helping a former…devil forge master, as he was referred to, named Hector. Hector was pursuing a fellow devil forge master by the name of Isaac, whose body was eventually used to resurrect Dracula.

It took Adriana several hours to read through the journals of the various Belmonts. Of course, she saved some time by skipping a few pages of Simon Belmont's accounts. Finally, at about three o'clock in the morning, she shut the journal. A part of her wanted to laugh off what she had read as the fictional scribblings of a family of madmen. However…her other half shook. The accounts had all seemed so real…so personal.

She slid the book under her bed, as if hiding it out of sight would help her forget her fears. Her fears that…if it was all real, and this was her family, that this _tradition_ would fall to _her_. And what good could come from that?

"Maybe Mom does have a good reason for hiding this all from me," she said, slipping underneath the covers.

She reached out to turn the dim lamp off, but, catching that the sky over the place where the lightning had struck had now turned red, she found that she couldn't do it. And, for the first time since she had been six years old, Adriana Smith fell asleep with the lights on.

…………………

Walter, now dressed in black slacks with a old nobleman's white shirt, stepped back into the tomb where Dracula had been resurrected. Orlox and his priests were still there, chanting around the granite tomb. The bald vampire looked up at Walter and asked, "Did your tour of Castlevania go well?"

"Yes. It went very well. You are not yet done resurrecting this one?" Walter responding, tilting his head in the tomb's direction.

"No, sire."

"And why not? After all, I told you that his body could be found in the bowels of Castlevania," he said, crossing his arms in front of him.

"With all due respect, my lord, there are _a lot_ of bodies in the bowels of Castlevania," Orlox said, the slightest of hisses in his voice.

Walter smiled. "No matter. How far into this spell are you?"

"Almost finished, my master. All that is left is for me to finish up the chants," Orlox said, opening his mouth to do as he had said.

However, Walter stopped him. The priest continued to chant, but they were only maintaining the spell. Walter leaned in over the coffin. The body had already grown back its organs and muscles. All it really lacked was skin, eyes, and all the things an outward appearance entails. Closing his eyes slowly, Walter extended his wrist equally as slow. Once it was over the body's mouth, Walter drew one of his sharp nails across his pale skin and allowed his blood to fill the body's mouth.

"Blood bonding…brilliant," Orlox murmured.

But Walter did not hear, or at least he did not care to hear. He raised both his hands above his head and cried, "You will serve your purpose! Dracula is no longer your master! You will not be able to aid him! His orders you no longer follow! With this, our bonding of blood, of contract, I bid you…rise, Isaac!"

And, on the edge of the coffin, a hand, with tattoos clearly running from it up the arm, appeared. Then, sitting up, was the form of a heavily tattooed man with shiny red hair and wicked eyes. He looked down at his hands and then up at Walter.

"What has happened?" he asked, his voice a little raspy.

Walter grinned. "All in time. Come," he said, taking a cloak from one of the priests and giving it to Isaac, "I will explain all once we are inside Castlevania."

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End Notes: So, Isaac's resurrection wasn't stupid, was it? And I'm sorry for all the backstory type of stuff. I just needed to put that in so Adriana would have an excuse for knowing it. Well, please review! 


	5. While the Cat's Away

A/N- I'm glad everyone is liking this fic. Now, I know it hasn't been all that "action-packed" but hopefully this chapter will be a turning point for that. I hope everyone enjoys!

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Chapter 4- While the Cat's Away 

It was to Adriana's great joy--although she kept it well hidden--that her mother had announced to her that she was going shopping the next morning. Ria smiled and nodded over her eggs as her mother fixed her own plate, her back to her daughter.

"You could come with me, if you want," Sophy said.

"No, I don't think so. I'll just stay here," Adriana replied, finished with her eggs and now moving on to the bacon.

She was only slightly fond of bacon, so there were only two pieces on her plate. She finished them quickly. Standing, she moved to the sink to place her plate and fork in.

"But you could explore the town," her mother protested, just now sitting down with her breakfast.

_I'd rather explore all those doors you locked_, Adriana thought. Aloud, however, she said, "I'm sorry, Mom. I just don't feel like it today. Maybe some other time. I'm going to go…read or something."

Just before she could slip out of the kitchen, her mother called to her. "Ria, you cannot spend your life sulking just because we moved…or because your father died. He would want you…us…to try and be happy."

Adriana crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway of the kitchen, crossing her feet at the ankles as well. Her eyes narrowed into a glare. Her mother was being presumptuous. She hated that. Instead of asking what her daughter felt, Sophy Smith had a horrible habit of just assuming she knew.

"I'm as happy as could be expected under the circumstances, Mother. I'm sorry that I don't adapt as well as you do, but I'm doing my best. I'll be happy again…but why don't you let me do it on my own schedule?" she snapped in return.

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and went to her room. She did not pull out the Belmont journals, as had been her original intention. She couldn't risk that fact that her mother might come up to her room to talk further. However, that did not come to pass. Soon, Ria heard the family's car door open and shut, the engine start, and it pull away from the house. She sighed.

Sophy also never picked an argument or conversation back up that wasn't to her liking. If there was any chance she might lose, she simply let it drop and pretended as if it didn't happen. Pretending like things didn't happen seemed to be her way of dealing with everything. It had driven Ria's father crazy. It was also the reason that--on the rare occasion when the couple had argued--that the arguments seemed to last forever.

Sighing, Adriana pushed her thoughts on her mother's faults to the back of her mind and stood to see if the car had indeed left the premises. Once confirmed that it had, she turned, picked up the hefty journals, and made her way down to the kitchen. There, she retrieved some tools that she knew her mother always kept around and then chose what door to look behind first.

She chose the locked door that matched the described location of the Art Gallery in the Belmont journals. She sat down the journals and some of her tools and chose a thin, needle-like tool to begin her work. She switched tools several times until, after ten minutes, the lock clicked open. Leaving the tools behind, she lifted the journals and slowly opened the door.

There was no light but the sunlight that leaked through the windows in the room. Adriana looked to the wall beside the door and searched for a light switch. Finding one, she flicked it on, happy that there was still working light bulbs in the above chandelier. She drew in a deep breath when her eyes fully beheld the room.

It was elegant in every way imaginable. The small table and the two chairs that sat in the middle of the room was made of cherry colored wood, with the chairs' lining done in red velvet. Upon the table was a gold candelabra, and matching curtains hung over the windows. Lovely, lush red couches and high-backed chairs surrounded the table. But on the walls…lined side-by-side around the room were portraits.

Flipping to the first journal entry by Leon Belmont, Adriana read to herself Leon's description of himself. She found the portrait that matched on the far left wall. Approaching, she found that at the base of the fairly large painting of the man with a fair complexion with short blond hair was a small gold plate on the frame. After wiping a thin layer of dust off, it clearly read "Lord Leon Belmont." Funnily enough, it looked as though someone had tried to scratch out the word "lord." Excited, if not a little frightened, that the journals had matched perfectly the description of everything, she closed the book and followed along the walls, for all of the paintings seemed to have those name plates on their frames.

Right next to Leon's portrait was that of the dark haired woman known as Sara. It did perfectly match the sketch in the journal, and her last name was clearly visible on the plate.

"Trantoul," Adriana murmured.

Rounding around the room, she gazed on in wonder at the portraits of Sonya, Trevor, Christopher, Simon, and Richter Belmont. Occasionally, the wife of the Belmont would have a portrait next to their husband's. Richter's wife, Annette, was one such wife. There were even a few non-Belmont's featured in the room. A man named Hector and a woman named Maria appeared. Adriana knew their roles in the Belmont family line by the stories in the journals. Unfortunately, the non-Belmont that Adriana had been interested in seeing, Dracula's son Alucard, was not featured.

Finally, she came to a fireplace that stood in between Annette and her sister's portrait. Instead of a picture of over it, there was the oddest decoration. A whip, that looked a little over-used, hung on three silver hooks before a background of red velvet. At it's end opposite from the handle, hung that of a small cross. Without really thinking, Adriana reached and took it off the wall. She knew this whip. It was called Vampire Killer. And stranger still, she felt like it was and had always been hers.

But how could she feel like that? More importantly, how did she know the name of this whip? It had not been mentioned anywhere in the journals. Shaking her head, she gathered the whip up in her hands and glanced at her watch. And panicked. She had been in the room for two hours! She knew that the town near her house was small, and her mother would probably be home soon.

Now moving at a run wherever she went, Adriana took the journal and the whip, exited the Gallery, deposited her precious items onto her bed in her room, and rushed back downstairs to remove the evidence of her breaking into the room. She had only just replaced the tools when she heard the car door open and her mother step into the house. She and her mother exchanged quick words in some semblance of a conversation, and then she quickly escaped upstairs.

Adriana's eyes were shut, for sake of resting them, when she opened, shut, and leaned against the door of her room. Then, something most unexpected happened. Someone spoke to her!

"Well, it's about time another female Belmont was born!"

…………………

Isaac's head was reeling. It was so much to comprehend in such a small time. Even one such as he, who had commanded the dark art of devil forging, found it all so difficult to take in. It was a hard realization to wake up, suddenly, and be told that you were previously dead. And to add to it, to be told that it was centuries past when you had been alive.

Isaac sat upon the floor in front of the familiar throne of his Lord Dracula, only it was not Dracula who sat upon it. It was one called Walter…the one who had raised him up. The devil forgemaster pulled the rough cloak around him tighter. There was something very strange about all of it…his death, that was. Resurrections were common-place in Castlevania.

"There is no afterlife," Isaac said, trying desperately to recall anything from his being dead. But there was nothing…nothing but a dark, cold place.

"Not true," said the vampire called Orlox. "There is indeed a Heaven and a Hell. You were not in either place."

"Purgatory, for a follower of Dracula?" Walter inquired.

Orlox shook his head. "No. All those who possess souls that inhabit Castlevania are not able to pass on. The castle…collects souls, if you will. That's why resurrections when the castle has been called upon are so easy."

"Interesting…" Walter said, in a monotone voice. He turned his attention to Isaac. "Things have changed. Dracula no longer rules Castlevania nor the night. It is I who have this power now. You will serve me…and you will hunt down Dracula and destroy him."

At this, Isaac stood. A glare in his eye, he said, "My Lord Dracula could never been truly defeated. You have stolen his power, have you not? I will not serve one such as you. You are weak."

"Insolence!" Orlox hissed, but Walter raised a hand to silence him.

The vampire smiled as he rose up from his seat and advanced upon Isaac. The devil forgemaster did not back down. Walter smiled.

"You will find that you have no choice. Tell me, are you familiar with blood bonding?"

"Yes. It can be used in devil forging to…" Isaac's eyes widened as he finished slowly, "to force loyalty upon the Innocent Devil. You've bonded me, haven't you?"

"Indeed. Now, my orders to you are to prepare yourself for the outside world and then hunt Dracula down. Once you have found him, kill him. Show him no mercy and no help. Now…Go!"

Isaac opened his mouth to protest, but, finding that he had no words, he gave a small inclination of his head and said, through gritted teeth, "Yes…_Lord_ Walter."

With the sound of Walter's laughter at his back, Isaac followed Orlox out of the room.

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End Notes: So, what did everyone think? I hope everything wasn't too mushed up together. Please review! 


	6. Unexpected Visitor

A/N- Thanks for your patience and great reviews! I'm sorry that I left you at that cliffhanger and then haven't posted on this in forever. I had some writer's block issues with a chapter on another fic that was before this one on my list. Anyhow, on with the chapter!

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Chapter 5- Unexpected Visitor

Adriana opened her mouth in a scream, but no sound came out. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, logic still ruled. If she screamed--screamed about the woman sitting on her bed, smiling at her--her mother would find out about all of what she had been doing. She couldn't risk that. So, instead, Ria decided to try a calm approach.

She took a moment to stare at the woman, for she seemed familiar. She was in a blue dress of a very, very old design, and her dark hair was pulled up on her head. She seemed young, but not childlike. The woman sighed.

"I know you _must_ recognize me. Especially after your little tour of the Gallery," she said, standing.

Stranger still about the woman, it was like she was there and at the same time, wasn't. She was transparent and yet her details were clearly seen. The woman crossed her arms, still smiling, when Adriana decided where it was that she had seen her.

"It's not possible," she muttered, stepping forward to touch her.

"I'm not corporeal," the woman said. "And only you can see me."

"Then I've gone crazy, cause I can't be seeing you. Not you. You're dead, if you are who I think you are."

The woman's arms dropped, and she clasped her hands together…much as she was standing in her portrait. "Who do you think I am?" she asked.

Ria gasped. "You're her! You're Sara Trantoul!"

The woman--Sara--nodded. "Yes, I am. And you're Adriana Smith, aren't you?"

Ria ignored this statement. "How are you here?" she whispered fervently. "I mean, aren't you dead?"

"Technically, yes. Technically, no. You see, I never really died. I don't suppose Leon finished our story, did he?"

Ria shook her head. Sara sighed.

"Very well, then I'll fill in the blank. Leon retrieved me from Walter before he had defeated him. He then discovered that I had been tainted by the devil."

Ria held up a hand to stop her. "Wait a minute. Tainted?"

"It means that I was going to become a vampire. May I continue?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Well, Leon's ally--a shopkeeper in the forest of Eternal Night--was also an alchemist. He proposed that they use my tainted soul to empower the whip that Leon had been using, thus giving it the power to destroy Walter and all other vampires. Leon did not want to do so, because then he would have to kill me, but I told him that it was the only way. Thus, my soul got transferred into the whip known today as the Vampire Killer. But what no one knew was that I could not pass on. After all, they had used my soul, right? So, I stayed with the whip. With Leon, I could see the world as I had when I was alive. It turned out that all that had happened to us was the result of the treachery of Mathias Cronqvist."

Ria interrupted again. "Mathias? I thought that he was Leon's friend?"

Sara smiled, pleased. "So, you do retain information. That's good. Yes, he was, but when his wife had died, he blamed God. So, he turned against everyone he had ever loved--including the Lord--and swore himself to evil and the night. Now, to continue with the idea of myself and the whip. The whip is passed down through the generations. After Leon, my focus on the world grew less clear. After a while, it was like viewing the world through fogged glass. I could see it changing, but I couldn't see any great detail. And then, Sonya Belmont received it. And something was discovered. I was visible to female heirs of the whip! They could see me and interact with me! But only they alone could. After Sonya, there was no more female heirs, so my world fogged once more. Then, your mother came along. But she denied her calling. So, that leaves you."

By the end of Sara's story, Adriana had made her way over to here bed and sat down. Now, she looked up in confusion.

"My mother? And what exactly is our calling?" she asked, breathless from the excess of information.

"Why, to fight vampires and creatures of the night of course! And since you were drawn to the whip and all things Belmont so quickly after arriving here, I would assume that there is trouble brewing," Sara said, sitting down beside her.

"But…I don't know anything about fighting or…any of this!"

"Don't worry. That's why I decided to make myself known to you as soon as possible. I can train you."

"But…what if there isn't anything wrong?"

"Well, then you're very lucky. But…I doubt that."

At that moment, there was a knock on Ria's bedroom door. Ria responded with a jump and a cry. Without waiting for an invitation, Sophy entered the room.

"Something wrong, Ria?" she asked, looking around the room.

Ria cast a side glance at Sara, who was smiling again. Obviously, Sophy _couldn't_ see her. She smiled.

"Oh, nothing, Mom. I just wasn't expecting you. What do you need?" she asked.

"I was just coming to say that dinner is in an hour," Sophy said, staring at her daughter.

Ria smiled and nodded. "Okay, Mom. Bye."

"Bye," her mother said slowly, closing the door as she left.

"You handled that quite well," Sara said.

"Oh, be quiet!" Ria answered, collapsing on the bed.

She really, really missed her old home.

* * *

End Notes: So, what did you think? Please review! 


	7. A New Quarry

A/N- Sorry for the long wait. You see, about a week before the end of October, my friend--you all know her name by now--introduced me to a think called Nanowrimo, better known as National Novel Writing Month. It's a 50,000 word race from November 1st to November 30th. It's a miracle that I'm getting to post this chapter, as you can see. So, this story--and all my others--will be slowed down considerably…unless something happens with the novel. However, I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 6- A New Quarry 

This new century was strange and fascinating to Isaac. He had quite decided that he liked it. Ones such as he--who worshipped the night--could now walk around freely in the day without fearing execution in the name of God. His tattoos were not as heavily looked down upon in this time as they had been when he was alive, but he still felt the need to hide them behind black leather pants and black, silk button up shirts. The shirts were much more comfortable now than they had been when he was alive. He hid his eyes behind dark glasses, his semi-long red hair flowing freely.

He sat in one of many outdoor tables in the local town's café, scanning the passing pedestrians. He had been reborn for a week. That meant that he had been hunting his master--former master, as Walter insisted that Isaac refer to him as--for a week. Dracula was no where to be found. He crossed his legs, ankle over knee, and thanked the waitress that brought him something called an cappuccino. He sipped the concoction, found it to be quite to his liking, and continued his silent watching of the passing crowd.

People had changed as well. Men no longer wore heavy garments and weapons down the street, but now wore something called blue jeans and shirts of all varieties and fabrics. They either chose to cut their hair completely off, keep it short, or wear it long. And what Isaac found most odd, was that women saw it fit to wear their hair and their clothing the exact same way! And women were no longer simple housewives, they worked as men did in the world of trade, supported families, and had just as many rights as their gender counterparts did. It was all so truly fascinating…but a little distracting for Isaac.

He knew that all of his efforts should be placed upon finding Dracula. However, this alone posed many problems for him. He was still loyal to Dracula. The only thing keeping him from helping his one _true_ master was this damnable blood bond that Walter had placed upon him. But Walter had said nothing about slowing down his search. Isaac was taking his good ol' time finding Lord Dracula. He wanted to get rid of his bond before meeting him. But he knew that was not likely to happen. Dracula could probably smell Walter on him from a mile away.

Isaac placed the new world's currency on the table, in lieu of payment for his drink--which he had thoroughly enjoyed--and decided to join the masses. He placed his hands in his pockets and casually began to stroll about the streets with everyone else. He smiled at the ladies and tipped his head to the men who caught his eye. Being the middle of the day, he did not expect to find Dracula. For now, he was merely looking for signs that he had been in the vicinity.

He did not stop his walk until he came to the foot of a…driveway, he believed people called it, that led up to a house he had not seen for centuries…nor had he expected to see ever again. The age old house loomed before him and seemed to smile mockingly down upon him. He issued a slight growl as his eyes found the front door to the house. Belmont Manor. He wondered if it was still occupied after all this years.

As if in answer to his unasked question, the front door opened. Isaac quickly leapt of sight as a young girl, no older than fifteen or sixteen years of age, with bright, short blonde hair and deep blue eyes emerged from the door way. She turned away from the woman in the doorway--presumably her mother--and placed over her eyes glasses similar in style to Isaac's.

"Be home before dark, Adriana," her mother called as Adriana made her way down the drive.

"Of course, Mom," she called back without looking.

She passed Isaac without giving him any notice. He, however, noticed everything about her. The way she moved told him that she held something back…from the world or just her mother, he couldn't tell. The way her eyes shifted back and forth before joining the throng of people walking through town told him that she knew of the underlying dangers in the world that most of this time had forgotten even existed. And the scent of her blood--an ability given to him as a gift from his Lord Dracula upon entering his service so many years ago--told him that Belmont coursed through her veins.

Isaac followed her until she entered the café he had left behind scarcely minutes ago. As soon as she disappeared from his sight, a plan began to form. He would remember this girl, for she could either be a great help to him…or a great hindrance. And neither one he would tell Walter about.

* * *

End Notes: Wow, I made it through a whole chapter with only two lines of dialogue. I'm proud of myself! Anyway, what do all of you think of this chapter? Please review! 


	8. Out on the Town

A/N- Okay, you guys know the deal. So sorry!! Just be thankful that with the help of youtube and Slinky, I finally got Castlevania back inside my head. I've just started back to school. We all know about those pesky real life concerns (and if you don't, I envy you). I am now living in a dorm with Slinky that has high-speed internet. I can't promise more frequent posting as I have tried in the past whenever I've had internet access, but I can promise that when I have a chapter done, it was be posted without hesitation. Now, my classes are a LOT of work this semester, but I'm living with my writing buddy and Imp-Plot Bunny Muse (long story here, folks), so I've been a good girl and have been taking better care of my storylines. The notes I keep meaning to take are getting taken, the chapters I mean to work on are getting worked on, and so on. So, without further ado--sorry for the length of this, guys--I give you chapter 7 of Untested! (I'm just as excited as I hope you all are!)

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Chapter 7- Out on the Town

"Focus!!" Sara said, walking in a circle around Adriana.

If Sara had been corporeal, it would have had to be a wide circle, given that Ria was working on her basic whip movements. Sophy had gone out, shopping again, leaving Ria alone with Sara--of whom her mother was still blissfully unaware--to train. Ria's arms ached as this whip session had just followed a grueling workout and run. The working out and running Ria had not tried to hide from her mother. She had simply told Sophy that she had wanted to fix up her physique. However, Ria had no doubt that her mother thought that all the attention her daughter was recently putting on physical fitness was just a way to distract the pain of the loss of her father. In truth, Ria had made her peace some time ago, feeling that her father would not have wanted his daughter's life to stop. She felt that she honored his memory this way. It was Sophy that couldn't let go.

"Good. Again!" Sara commanded, watching as Adriana successfully got a good hold on a tree branch with the whip.

Ria repeated the action, once again successfully. She turned proudly to Sara, who had her eyebrow raised.

"Good, but don't get overconfident. It'll take a lot more to defeat the forces of evil than trapping a tree branch."

Ria's smile disappeared as she turned back to her task. However, her attention was changed again as the sound of a car door shutting on the other side of the manor floated back to the ghost and the girl in the backyard.

"Mom's home!" Ria said, starting to quickly roll up the whip.

"Quick, up to your room!" Sara said.

With the whip rolled up, the two zoomed back inside the house and up the stairs. Ria had no idea why Sara was running. It wasn't like Sophy could see _her _holding an ancient whip in her hands. Ria's feet had just hit the second floor landing when she heard the front door open and close. She quickly hid the whip and when back downstairs, telling Sara before she left to stay in her room.

"You're a bit distracting when I'm trying to play it cool around Mom. I'll be back in a bit," Ria had said, starting to close the door.

"Don't worry. I'm a ghost. I'll be fine," Sara smiled at her as the door shut.

Both women knew that "ghost" was not proper enough to truly describe what Sara was, but they also knew "soul" was too strong. "Ghost" was just the simpler term.

Ria entered the kitchen to find her mother putting away groceries. She walked up behind her and picked up a cereal box.

"We ran out of this already? I swear we didn't eat that much," she commented lightly.

Sophy smiled over her shoulder as she placed a bag of instant rice in a cabinet.

"You'd be surprised. You know, we don't always eat it with milk. Maybe that's what is throwing us off," she said.

Ria helped her mother finish putting the groceries away, light conversation exchanging between the two. Finally, when all was said and done, Sophy turned to her daughter and sighed.

"I didn't want to ask this before because I wanted the help, but…what do you want? You never help with this type of stuff unless you want something. You get that from your father. Both of you are very conniving," she said, leaning on the counter and crossing her arms.

"We didn't always want something! Sometimes we're just being nice. What makes you think that that isn't the case here, Mom?" Ria said, outrage in her voice.

Sophy's eyebrow raised ever so slightly. Ria sighed.

"Can I have a few dollars? I want to go and hang out at the café in town," she admitted, defeated.

Her mother smiled, reaching into her purse and withdrawing the money.

"Sure. It's nice to see you getting out. I hope you are meeting people your age," she said, handing over the money.

"Sure, whatever. Thanks, Mom," Ria said, darting out of the kitchen before Sophy could change her mind.

She found her way back to her and back to Sara, who was sitting on her bed, looking up on at the multi-postered walls. She smiled when Ria entered.

Ria smiled back and immediate began to switch from her workout sweats into clothing more suitable for public appearances.

"Going somewhere, are you?" Sara asked.

"We are," Adriana amended, shoving the whip into one of her larger purses once she was dressed.

"We are? Where? And why?"

"Well, we're going to the café in town. You've had a rather fuzzy view of the modern world for the last few years. I mean, sure, you've got the language right, but I think you should learn as much as possible. And…I've got to have some coffee!"

Sara stood and shook her head. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes."

"That's what I was afraid of."

****

…………………

They were seated in a far corner of the modernized café twenty minutes later. Ria had her laptop with her, messing around on a place she had told Sara that was called the internet. She seemed to be very immersed in it, so Sara was left to stare about at others who could not stare at her. Every so often, Ria would look up and apologize for the lack of conversation--whispering so others would not hear and think that she was talking to an empty chair. Finally, on the fourth time this had happened--and five coffees later--Ria closed down her laptop and turned her attention to Sara. It was getting late. The sun's last rays were dying on the horizon, casting beautiful colors on the ground and across the sky. Most looked at this beauty with awe and appreciation. Sara was looking on it in apprehension.

"Ria, the sun is setting," she said when Ria had pulled a magazine over to her--using it to hide her moving lips when she talked to her.

"And?" she asked.

"And you are no where trained enough to deal with the dangers of the night! We need to get back before dark!"

But even as the argument brimmed up over the ghost's lips, the sun sunk away, and the electric streetlamps were lit. Night had fallen. And with the night came what Ria called the "night owls." Teenagers and the odd adult that preferred to conduct their business in the evening hours. Sara watched them closely, worried that any one of them could be minions of evil. She was relieved to see them pleasantly human, but dismayed to see that Ria seemed so aloof about a possible, impending death by vampire, or demon, or whatever. It was only when the bell to the café ringed next that Ria's attention turned from her magazine. A tall, handsome man entered the building. His skin was pale, but not sickly looking. His white-blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and his clean shaven face young and beautiful.

He seemed to feel Ria's eyes on him because as he took his seat, his gray, dazzling eyes twinkled further at her. Sara knew that the rosy tinge on Adriana's cheeks was probably against the girl's better judgment. The man denied the coffee the waitress tried to offer and simply sat, reading the same magazine title that Ria was.

"I don't like this," Sara couldn't help but voice aloud.

Ria jumped and looked at Sara as if she had forgotten she was there.

"Why?" she asked.

It seemed to take a great power to tear her eyes from the man.

"He seems…familiar…but I can't place from where. Ria, it's dark. I don't like the looks of that man--he's watching us!--and you're not fully trained. We ought to head back to the manor," Sara protested.

"Us?"

"You know what I mean!"

Ria smiled. "All right. Let's go."

The two stood, leaving a tip for the waitress. Sara was happy enough to be leading Ria home, but it was fleeting as the man winked at Ria on the way out.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, just a little bit of plot here. I know nothing much happened here. It seems to be this way for all the fics I'm posting on. I wonder if that's why it has taken me so long to post on them. Well, in all truth, I was actually quite happy with this chapter. Once I started it, it all just kind of flowed out. Well, please review!

Note on the whole "ghost, soul": thing: In all reality, both would be acceptable to use in my opinion. It all depends on your point of view. I would also use "essence" and may have a character use it later on. It's just that these two have got so much to do, they aren't really thinking about spiritual implications.


	9. Firsts

A/N- Long wait, huh? Okay, I'm sorry, but I'm back and with another chapter! Please enjoy!

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Chapter 8- Firsts

Adriana mopped her face with the white hand towel she had snatched from the bathroom, disgusted with the feeling of sweat rolling down her face. Once again, Sophy was out shopping, which left Ria with her otherworldly friend. Ria tossed the towel to the side, put her hands on her knees, and groaned. Her entire body ached. She would have never guessed that learning to use a whip properly would be such a workout. Pulling in much needed oxygen even seemed to hurt. She pulled her hands from her knees and pushed them into her sore sides.

"Can we break, Sara? Please? We've been at this for hours!" she begged.

Sara crossed her arms, turned her head to the side, and sighed.

"Fine. Go out into the world unprepared to fight the evils of the night. See if I care," she said, the sarcasm dripping like acid from her words.

Sparing only the smallest of smiles, Ria nodded and ran past her, winding the whip as she went.

"Thanks!"

"Ria! I was being sarcastic! I know you caught it, child!" Sara yelled, following after her as she bounded into the manor's rear door, through the kitchen, up the stairs, and into her room.

Ria jumped when she saw that Sara had followed her so closely. Sighing, she tossed the whip onto her bed. Turning to her closet, she threw it open and began to rumage through her clothing. Occasionally, she would cringe as the sound of the rare metal hanger scrapping across the closet's metal poll. Sara sat down beside the whip.

"You're getting ready to go to the café again, aren't you?" she asked.

Ria had already found a tight-fitting, predominantly black screen tee—reading "Too Cool to Rule" in multi-colored letters digonally across the shirt—and a pair of stylishly ragged denim jeans. She was pulling on the shirt as she answered, "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Adriana, I'm not sure you should go back there," Sara answered after a moment.

Ria looked up from buttoning her jeans to arch an eyebrow at her companion. Turning her back on her to look in her drawer for socks, she put forth another question.

"And why do you think that?"

She found a pair of multi-colored stripped socks and sat on the floor to pull them on. This was followed by slipping her feet into simple white sneakers.

"I can't explain it. You're not ready."

"To drink coffee and play on my laptop?" Ria said as she pulled out the notebook computer's case.

She reached past Sara to grab the whip and shove it into a spare compartment in the case. Turning back around, she snatched up her large purse and slung it over one shoulder. On the other, she slung the laptop case.

"You stay out too late. You don't understand. All those horrible things that Castlevania comes with can smell a person of Belmont descent from miles away. You're not ready to fight those things." Sara explained. Sighing, the ghost-like figure stood. "But you're going out anyway, aren't you?"

Ria nodded, and exited her bedroom.

…………………

"Why are you looking so worried?" Ria typed on a Word document, turning the laptop ever-so-slightly so Sara could read the words.

This had occurred to Ria only recently as a more efficent way to communicate with Sara in public. This way, if she sat at a table that had only the wall behind her, she could type and no one would think she was talking to herself. Or think that she was crazy enough to believe that there was someone in the chair next to her…of which the standard café patron would see as empty.

Sara shook her head, and—since she was able to answer aloud, said, "You're waiting for _him_, aren't you?"

Ria was sure that the heat forming in her face was the only answer Sara would need. It had been two nights since they had first attended the café, and the blond-haired man with the mesmerizing eyes had captured her attention. For the following nights, Ria, dragging a reluctant Sara along, had returned to the café, presumably hoping to see him again. So far, it had been to no avail.

Sara sighed. "You should forget about him. He looks too old for you, anyway."

Ria "harumphed." Turning towards her laptap, she typed, "What's your problem? Why does it bother you that I want to run into this guy again?"

Once again, Sara shook her head. "I can't put my finger on it. He's…too familiar to me. It's like I should know who he is, but I don't."

"And is that so bad, that you know him?" Ria typed in reply.

Sara scoffed in annoyance.

"I've been dead for an umpteenth number of centuries, Ria! _Of course_ it's bad if _I_ know him!"

Ria blushed again, but this time it was not from girlish thought.

"Sorry," she typed.

Sara waved her hand to dismiss her apology. "Never mind. Ria, once again, it's dark. We should go. Now."

Ria agreed, unwilling to argue with her again. The spector had never snapped at her like that before. Apparently, her interest in the strange man unnerved Sara more than Ria had imagined. She quickly packed up her laptop and rushed out the door of the café—the _ding_ of the tiny shop bell ringing behind her as she began her trek home.

The streets were mostly empty, with only an occasional passerby, so Ria felt more comfortable with addressing Sara aloud.

"I really am sorry," she said.

"Never mind. I didn't mean to snap. I just…There is just something terribly unnerving about that man. I'm just worried for you. For the legacy of the Belmont family," Sara answered, watching the sidewalk as she moved alongside Ria.

They were slient for a moment. However, a curious thought that had been nagging at the back of Ria's thoughts slipped through her lips.

"Speaking of Belmont legacies…I wanted to ask…if it isn't too personal…" she began.

Sara smiled and nodded her permission.

"You were engaged to Leon Belmont, right?"

"That's right."

"Did he…have any brothers?"

Sara arched an ebony eyebrow. "No."

"Oh. Well, then…he must have married, right? Since the Belmont bloodline has endured for so long?"

"Yes. He married a young woman from this village, in fact. Many, many, many years ago."

"And you were with him…in the whip? But he couldn't see you?"

"He could feel me. The spell was much stronger then. But yes, I was, and no, he couldn't."

"Didn't that…bother you? To see the man you loved, married and happy with another? Didn't you ever find yourself wishing that you could gain freedom from the whip so you could move on? So you didn't have to watch it all?"

Sara smiled an indulgent smile. It was as if she knew of some important fact that Ria didn't understand. She gave a small laugh at the look of confusion on Ria's face.

"No, Adriana. It didn't bother me to see him with another woman, not really. Yes, I wished that I could have been the one he had married, but in truth, you can't wish for freedom when you don't feel trapped. I volunteered for this. True, I didn't know that I would be attached to the whip in _this _way, but Leon died a happy man. Married to a woman he loved with children he loved. I couldn't have asked for more, given all the circumstances."

Ria seemed satisfied with Sara's answer. The two fell silent once more and walked on. Finally, they approached the darken figure of Belmont Manor. However, as they neared even further, a different figure drew the ladies' attention. A man with bright red hair and dressed all in black leaned against the front gate to the manor.

He looked up as they neared even closer, pushing himself into a standing position. Ria stopped a few feet from him, glancing up at the lights on in the living room windows of the manor. Looking back at the man, she could see black tattoos that edged into his face, seemingly rising from his lower body. He crossed his chest with his right arm and bowed forward.

"Lady Belmont, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Isaac Laforeze, and I've come all this way just to meet with you," he said, turning his head upwards toward Ria.

Ria's eyes drifted again from the lights on in the manor back to Isaac, who grinned a cheshire grin.

"Yes, your mother is within the manor. Oblivious to our prescence," Isaac said, straightening himself.

This man's—Isaac—voice seeming to silther lazily from him. As if the act of speaking was too much to be bothered with. However, it also held a note of mocking within it.

"What do you want?" Ria asked.

"I've come to test you out, my dear. Please, ready your whip," he said.

Isaac dropped his right arm stiff to his side. With a slight shake, out from his black, loose shirt's sleeve slipped what looked like only the hilt of a sword. With another shake, extended form the hilt was a fuscha colored beam, reminding Ria vaguely of the lightsabers from _Star Wars_. She shot a side look at Sara, who stood with a sort of frozen mix of horror and worry on her face.

"Should I?" Ria muttered from the corner of her mouth, eyeing her laptop case—which she had unknowingly set upon the ground.

"Ria, this is one of those rare times when listening to the bad guy is exactly what you ought to do!"

With a few quick motions, Ria had removed the Vampire Killer from her laptop case. She held tightly to the heel knot of it, allowing the rest of the whip to unfurl onto the ground.

"Ria…" Sara began worriedly.

But Ria shook her head once, signaling Sara not to even think about the rest of her sentence. To Isaac, Ria said, "You want to fight me? Here I am!"

Isaac laughed. "Gutsy. How trained are you, little girl?"

He rushed forward, brining his laser sword up to slash straight down at her. She whirled, bringing her arm up slightly to crack the whip at his back. It connected, causing Isaac to gasp in pain. He turned, a wicked smile positioned on his face. Ria's eyes widened. Was he enjoying this?

"Very nice. Not going to happen again," he said, his voice losing some its laziness.

He came at her again. This time, he appeared to be ready to slash her horizontally. Ria ducked and rolled, feeling the blade slice shallowly into the left side of her back. Isaac laughed as she gasped, turning to face him.

_I'm not ready!_ she thought frantically.

"Ria!" Sara yelled.

Isaac came at her with another vertical slash. With a grim determination to live—aware that her mother was only feet away, defenseless safe for her daughter—Ria leapt to her feet and lashed out with the whip as she had when she had caught the treebranch in training. The whip wrapped tightly around Isaac's sword-wielding arm. He stopped and yanked his arm towards himself, trying to shake the whip loose. Having not firmly set her footing, Ria was pulled right up against Isaac—who had moved his sword out of her way—so close that she needed to only wrap her arms around him to hug him. She looked up into his face just as he looked down into hers. Suddenly, inexplicitly, a shock not unlike she imagined a bolt of lightning would feel jetted throughout her body. She exhaled sharply, unaware that she had been holding her breath. Isaac must have felt this jolt too, for he looked just like Ria felt. He recovered faster, however. Bringing his sword arm back further, he brought his fist, tightly secured around the hilt, up hard against the side of Ria's head. The whip loosened, and she felt to the ground, ears ringing and eyesight blurry.

_This is it. I'm dead_, she thought hazily. _And so is Mom._

The world was spinning as she tried to look up and focus on Isaac. To her great surprise, he deactivated his sword.

"Until next time," he said, running off into the night.

"Ria!" Sara cried, running up to kneel beside the girl. "Ria, are you all right?"

"Dizzy…ow," she muttered.

"Ria, you've got to get up. If your mother comes out here…it's a miracle she hasn't already with all that noise…he could still be out there, Adriana!"

With a tremendous effort, Ria pushed herself to her feet. Stumbling, she found the manor's gate to support herself on.

"What happened? Were we hit with some sort of electricity?" Ria mumbled.

"What? No. He must have hit you harder than I thought. We've got to get in. You've got to treat your wound. You're bleeding, and your shirt is cut," Sara said urgently.

In the haze of her mind, the memory of having past up a class in first aid came to Ria's mind.

"I dunno how," she mumbled. "I don't know how to treat my wound."

"Just tell your mother you fell. That you fell onto something and that you managed to pull it out. She can take it from there. Come on! Move!"

The dizziness was fading from Ria's mind. The world seemed clearer to her now. She looked at Sara.

"Are you sure? Are you sure we weren't hit by something? When Isaac and I were pressed up against one another?"

"Positive. Why?"

"Never mind," Ria said, lurching forth into the front lawn. "Let's get in the house."

* * *

End Notes: So, what did you think? I quite liked that chapter. Please review!


	10. A Mission

A/N- Okay, again, a long wait. In my defense, I've been slowly writing this chapter in classes. But I've always had to stop when my class had started. Stupid classes. And I've also been finishing off a couple of my other fics. Anyway, I'm back and here with a nifty new chappie. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9- A Mission

Adriana couldn't find it within her to drag herself out of bed the next morning. She had told her mother—when she had come to shake her awake to ask for help with some remodeling project—that she wasn't feeling well. Sophy had not protested, saying that her voice sounded a little hoarse. Two hours later, Sophy shouted up the stairs that she had to go into town. When Ria chose not to reply, the sound of the front door opening and closing, then the sound of the car pulling away followed.

Ria groaned. She rolled over, curled into a ball and brought the thick, warm comforter up over her head. She was now covered from head to toe.

She had no idea why her voice was hoarse. But she knew the cause of her sickly mood. Although it had been a draw to the naked eye, Ria knew the truth. Isaac would have killed her. He had beaten her. She had been doing so well in her training, and he had still beat her. Her training was all for nothing.

"Ria, what's wrong?" Sara's voice leaked through the comforter's protective shield.

Ria groaned and tightened even further into a ball.

"Go away," she said.

Sara harrumphed. "You're not sick."

"Might as well be."

"Is this about last night? Ria, he ran. It was a draw."

Ria threw the blanket off. "No. No, it wasn't."

"How so?"

"He would've won had that weird electric thing hadn't happened."

"'Would have' is very different than 'did.' Vastly different. Ria, with as little training that you've had, you did splendidly."

"Wow is _that_ overstated."

"Don't be silly. Get up. Your mom is out. We need to train."

"What good will that do?"

Sara sighed and sat on the edge of Ria's bed. Because of her quasi-ghostly state, no indention nor jostling was made on the bed. There was a long silence. Finally, Sara spoke.

"I'll make you a deal. Let's train for as long as possible, which will probably be only a couple of hours. Then we can go to that café. What do you say?"

Ria pulled herself into a sitting position. Sara's eyes were hopeful.

"I don't mean to be a bitch or anything, but if I wanted to go to the café, you wouldn't exactly be able to stop me. You being non-corporeal and all."

Ria had expected anger. However, Sara smiled slyly.

"True, but…how heavy of a sleeper are you?" the ghostly woman asked.

"Why?"

"Well, if you were a fairly light sleeper, if I were to—I don't know—talk all night long…exactly how much sleep would you get?"

Ria rolled out of bed. She knew that she was, indeed, a very light sleeper.

"Fine," she said, beginning to pull on her sweats. "Let's train."

…………………

Sara wore a smug smile all throughout the two's training session. Ria, meanwhile, looked like her face had been pinched together and pulled forward. However, she was hitting things harder than usual, pulling off moves she had been previously unable to accomplish, and moving faster than ever. Sara laughed.

"Anger does wonders for your fighting skills, Ria," she said.

Ria's response was splitting a log in two without taking her eyes off Sara. The log had been a little to her right. Sara applauded her.

"Excellent! Really extraordinary!" Sara said. "Now—

But Sara paused, her head turned towards the front of the house. Then, she whirled back to Ria, who already knew what the specter was about to say. She was already winding the whip and heading towards the back door.

"Your mother's home," Sara said, following her into the home and up the stairs.

"Got that, thanks," Ria snapped, pushing open the door to her room.

"Oh, Ria, I'm sorry."

Sara took a seat on Ria's bed, as the girl already had her training tank—as she had dubbed it—flying across the room. The tank was shortly followed by the sweats. Reaching into her closet for a bathrobe, Ria sighed.

"I know. I needed to train. It's okay. I'm just…moody…"

Sara laughed. "Sonia used to get like that after she failed at something. Or felt she had failed at something."

Ria paused halfway out of her door. She turned back to Sara, a look of wonderment on her face.

"Really?"

Sara nodded.

"You're not making that up?"

"Now why would I do that?"

Ria shrugged. "I don't know. But…I really have that in common with a family member? Really?"

Sara's brow furrowed and her lips turned downward a bit at the corners.

"Yes, dear. You actually have a great deal in common with many of the members of the Belmont family."

Ria sighed. "Will you tell me about them sometime? You know, about the stuff that I haven't read…that isn't in the journals?"

"Of course, dear. Of course I will."

Ria nodded and moved to exit her room, but Sara stopped her.

"Where are going?" the ghostly woman asked.

"To take a shower. I'm holding you to your deal!"

As the door shut behind Ria, Sara sighed. "I was hoping she had forgotten."

Ria took was she thought had been the shortest shower of her life. Sophy had arrived to scold Ria a bit for being in the next room she had planned to work on. Ria had only smiled—the move hidden behind the shower curtain—and apologized. Sophy had muttered something about "leaving post-it notes for her own daughter" and had left. Ria laughed. Once out of the shower, she had blown dry her hair, done her make-up, and dressed. Then, she readied her laptop case with the usual items. She must've been holed up in her bedroom for longer than she had originally thought, because by the time Sara and Ria had the café in sight, the sun had already set. And Sara was jumpy.

"It's dark!" she moaned, her head snapping from side to side like she was having some kind of seizure.

"So? I have the whip with me. We're okay," Ria responded aloud, although she didn't sound too convinced herself.

They had not yet reached the café's doors. Ria shook her head. Her comment had done nothing to calm her friend or herself. She sighed. She was sure Isaac had no plans to attack again any time soon. She was beginning to getting steadily annoyed with Sara's jerky movements. She was very glad that nobody could see her. When she reached the doors of the café, she paused, looking at her.

"Sara, don't worry. We'll get our regular seat, I'll get some coffee, we'll just hang here for an hour or so, and then we'll go straight home. No big, okay?"

Sara shook her head. "Fine. But those hours can't pass quickly enough!"

Ria smiled as she pushed open the doors of the café. She was still smiling as she greeted one of the waitresses and placed her order. Her smile faded, however, when she noticed her regular seat.

There, with his eyes swiftly scanning the pages of a magazine, was the mysterious man that Ria had seen on her first visit to the café. She froze, staring at the white-blond haired man. Sara froze beside her as well.

"I don't like this, Ria," Sara said. "We should leave."

Ria did the tiniest movement that indicated that she was shaking her head "no." Instead, she moved to sit at a table closer to one of the other walls of the building. However, before she could sit, the man looked up and locked eyes with her.

"He's seen us!" Sara said.

"Me. He's seen me," Ria muttered, her face down-turned a bit toward the table.

The man smiled and waved his hand, indicating that Ria join him at his table. Ria felt her eyes grow wide and her cheeks burn red. However, she slowly made her way towards the table. Sara protested the whole way. She only stopped when Ria unceremoniously slid into the chair across from the man.

"Good evening. I do hope you'll forgive me for taking your table, but I so wished to speak with you, Miss," the man said, his voice deep and smooth, reminding Ria of rich, dark velvet.

Ria gulped and found that she had lost her voice. Although she had been waiting for this man to show again, she had never gone so far as to picture trying to _talk_ with him. She had never been shy, but she had also never been good at making the first approach to speak with someone new. She hated the way awkward conversations made her feel. Already, she could feel her hands begin to sweat. She rubbed them nervously on her jeans.

"Th-that's okay. Free world, or so I'm told," she said, instantly admonishing herself for the lame joke.

But the man chuckled appreciatively. He then looked up, flashing his bright smile at the approaching waitress, who blushed. The young girl placed the coffee that Ria had ordered in front of her. Ria thanked the woman, who quickly bustled off. At least she wasn't the only one who felt nervous around this man.

"Oh, where are my manners! I should introduce myself. My name is Alucard. May I ask yours, my dear?" he said.

Ria fought all instinct to not let her eyes double in size. Sara hissed beside her.

"Don't let on about _anything_! Wait it out!"

Ria knew that, so she simply forced a smile onto her own face and replied, "Adriana. My name is Adriana. Most call me Ria."

Alucard smiled. "Adriana? Really? That's quite a beautiful name."

Ria nodded, not trusting herself to speak at the moment. She was fascinated. So this was the Alucard that two of her ancestors had spoken of? The half-vampire son of the vampire lord, Dracula. She was in awe. Sara, however, was clearly dubious.

"Something isn't right…" she muttered. Ria ignored her.

"So," she began as Alucard set aside the magazine, "why have you taken such an interest in me?"

Alucard smiled. "Miss Ria, I know all about you. Or rather, I know all about your family. I've come seeking your help with a little…problem."

Ria arched a brow in what she hoped was the perfect imitation of confusion. Sara looked pleased at her performance. However, Alucard chuckled.

"You can drop the pretenses. I know you are a Belmont. And it is exactly a Belmont that I need."

Ria cast a sideways glance at Sara, who shrugged and shook her head.

"Go ahead. Fine out what he wants. Since this is Alucard, I'm willing to bet that this will be your first big mission," Sara said.

Ria suddenly felt like she was going to throw up. She clasped her hands tightly together under the table to keep them from shaking. She cleared her throat, testing to make sure that she could speak without vomiting all over this man. That would be just too embarrassing to live down. When she was sure that she was okay, she spoke.

"Okay. I'm a Belmont. So, what is it that you need?"

She was really quite impressed at how cool that had sounded. Much cooler than she felt. Alucard smiled and stood.

"I'd prefer to not discuss it here. I have a…hotel room, is that the word? We can discuss the matter there."

Ria's stomach flopped, jumped, did a couple of somersaults, then felt like it was just rocking back and forth. Sara appeared to go rigid in her seat.

"Ria…remember that old rule our mothers teach us? Never go home with a stranger? I still think it applies here," she said.

"I-uh-I'm not sure that's a good idea," Ria said, standing.

Alucard placed a few bills on the table. When Ria arched a brow, he responded, "For your coffee. My treat. And, please, my dear. I have no intention to harm you. I need your help. Please…come with me."

And with that, he strode ahead. When he was almost to the door, Ria sighed. Sara shook her head.

"Oh, no. Ria…don't…" she moaned.

"I don't think I have a choice, Sara."

…………………

The hotel concierge didn't even bat an eye when Alucard walked by with Ria, who was obviously years younger than he was. That made her skin crawl. Just how many young girls had the concierge seen him with anyway? She found that her skin crawled even more when she was confined in the elevator with him, although it was only for a few moments. And she felt positively sickly again when he led her into his room.

It was a lavish suite on the top floor, decorated in reds and golds. It reminded Ria of some bedroom that one might see in a palace. It had two rooms: a sitting room and a bedroom. Alucard led Ria into the bedroom, which made her want to double over and clutch her stomach. Her legs began to shake, and her breathing became hard to control. Alucard stopped as he reached a nightstand and pulled open its single drawer. When he turned, he paused.

"Ria, are you well, my dear?" he asked.

Ria then felt a hot blush cover her face. She nodded. He smiled and said, "Catch."

Ria put her hand out to catch the item he tossed at her. When it was safely in her hand, she stared at it. It was a necklace that looked quite close to a family crest. It had a simple, metal chain. The crest itself was in the shape of a shield, painted red, with two dragons encircling a single sword.

"What is this?" Ria asked.

"It's my family crest. And it's most likely the only way to enter Castlevania now."

It was almost as if Ria could feel the coffee she had barely touched climb slowly back up into her throat.

"What? Why? What's going on?"

Alucard gestured for her to take a seat on the bed. She hesitated, eyeing both the bed and her host. But when he smiled and said, "Please," she sighed. She chose to sit at the very edge of the right side of the four poster bed, which was very high off the ground. She even had to jump a bit to get onto the mattress. She forced herself to meet his eyes and was very glad that he did not choose to sit. Instead, he stood before her, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I didn't think half-vampires got headaches," Ria said before she could stop herself.

He smiled. "We don't. But we can still get very…overwhelmed. You see, the world is in grave danger. A vampire by the name of Walter Bernhard has been resurrected, and he has taken my father's place as the lord of Castlevania."

Sara gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth. Ria nodded, meaning it more towards her friend than to Alucard. She remembered Walter's name from the journals. He was the reason for Sara's untimely demise. Sara looked quite sad…like she might cry, and Ria had to remind herself that it would look strange to Alucard if she went to put an arm around what would look like no one's shoulders.

"Okay," Ria said. "Evil vampire needs to be defeated. Sounds about right."

"But this is very different than fighting Dracula, Ria. If Walter is not defeated, the balance of the world will shift and all will be destroyed."

She arched a brow at the half-vampire. "Um…how is that any different than if Dracula isn't defeated?"

Alucard opened his mouth to answer, then paused. Then, with a smile that didn't quite fit his handsome features, he said, "I guess that isn't much of difference, where the world is concerned. But that doesn't change the fact that that has to be done."

"Okay…so why do _I _need the crest? I mean, none of my ancestors have needed it," Ria asked.

Alucard chuckled. "Very thorough. Very good. You need the crest because Walter will more than likely expect someone to try and stop him. However, no matter how many spells he may put up to prevent this, Castlevania is still my father's castle. It will always answer to him, even if the creatures within it won't."

"And where is your father? Was he resurrected?"

At this, Alucard's countenance grew grave. "Yes. He was. I don't know where he is. Walter may be holding him prisoner, or he might have run."

Ria scoffed. "Like a coward."

"No!" Alucard said sharply, causing Ria to jump. He cleared his throat, relaxing. "No, my dear. My father is many things…but not a coward. If he ran, he had other reasons than fear."

At this, Ria stood. "I'm sorry. Okay, you've got my help. I'll…began making preparations. Will you remain in contact with me?"

Ria had always been sure that watching so many spy movies would one day pay off. Perhaps one day she would be able to tell her mother that she had been right. Alucard nodded, and Ria made her way to the rooms door. However, as she started to open it, Alucard's hand caught it. He held it shut. When she turned, he was less than inches from her. He smiled at her, a much more wicked smile than he had previously. Ria pressed her back against the door. She couldn't see around him to see where Sara was standing, and he was moving his hand to rest it on her left cheek.

"Adriana is truly a lovely name. Do you know where it comes from? It's actually a quite common name for Belmont girls. It's considered a family name," he whispered, leaning close to her.

Ria began to search for the doorknob. "No. I don't know where it comes from."

"Ask your mother one day. I think you'll find it quite interesting."

He began to move even closer. However, Ria's hand found the doorknob and turned it. She muttered some quick farewell and slipped out the door, rushing down the hall and choosing the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator. Sara was with her, shaking her head.

"I don't remember that in the journals about him," Ria muttered to her.

"Me neither…perhaps Walter has put some sort of spell on him?" Sara replied.

Ria nodded, moving a bit quicker down the stairs.

…………………

Dracula chuckled darkly as he watched the Belmont girl rush from the hotel. He rested against the small wall on the roof of the building across the street, smiling. This girl would be his key to getting back into Castlevania. He only had to be patient. Walter would pay soon enough.

And in the meantime…he would take extra care of this child. With little more than a thought, he leapt quietly to the next rooftop, then the next, following the girl all the way back to Belmont Manor.

* * *

End Notes: So, interesting, yes? Not all is what it seems, huh? Hahaha! No, I'm just kidding. Or am I? Please review!

**Fun Fact**: At the scene where Alucard was at the door with Ria, the song "Alone" by Heart started playing on my playlist. If you get a chance, read the lyrics. It was actually quite funny to me!


	11. All About Walter

A/N- Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad everyone enjoyed that last chapter! So, this next chapter will be a bit of fun for me, just like that last one was. I hope everyone likes it!

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Chapter 10- All About Walter

Sophy had not been happy when Ria had arrived home that night, sometime around midnight. Apparently, the talk with Alucard had taken longer than she had thought. Ria couldn't remember the last time she had seen her mother so angry. Sophy's heart-shaped face—the same shape given to her daughter—was burning red as the woman had stormed up to her before she could escape to her bedroom.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "I've been worried sick!"

Ria's eyes widened. Of course her mother had worried about her before, but not as of late. Sara, standing to Ria's right, looked between the mother and daughter and shook her head.

"You should apologize, Ria," Sara said.

Sophy's eyes bored into her daughter's. Ria wiped away her wide-eyed look and crossed her arms in contempt. She turned her eyes to her left, to avoid both her mother's stare and Sara's.

"I was out, Mother. Why does it matter to you where I was?" Ria replied.

Sophy scoffed and threw her hands out to her sides, half-way into an "I-don't-know" position.

"Maybe it matters, young lady, because I am your mother. I have a right to know where my fifteen year old is at midnight!"

Scoffing, Ria moved around her mother to the staircase. And, although Sophy could not see her, it might have comforted her to know that Sara wore a similar expression of surprise, anger, and dismay on her face. Halfway up the stairs, Ria turned and shrugged.

"I've been going out almost every night these past few weeks. You're just now taking an interest? What happened? Did you read a new 'how to be a mommy' book?"

Sophy looked like her daughter had just threatened her life. With a disgusted sigh, Ria muttered, "Whatever," and finished the climb to her room. Once there, she slammed the door and set her bag—containing laptop and whip—inside her closet. She then began to peel off her clothes at such a speed that they might have been causing her body physical pain. By the time she was dressed in a pair of pajama bottoms and a mismatched, button-up pajama top, Sara was standing in a corner of her room.

"That could have been handled better. What would have been so wrong about telling her that you lost track of time at the café?" Sara scolded as Ria climbed under her covers.

"You're mad because I didn't _lie_ to my mother?"

"Yes. Now, could you kindly explain to me why _you're_ so mad? I think Sophy and I were both at a lost there."

Pulling the covers over her head, Ria grumbled, "We'll talk about it in the morning."

But in the morning, Ria—who was in a much better mood due to the fact that Sophy had left for town early in the day—did not feel like explaining herself to Sara. Instead, when asked about her reaction last night, Ria simply shrugged and replied, "Shouldn't we be training? She's gone."

With a shake of her head, Sara had agreed. So, Ria was once again in her sweats and tank, practicing her movements with the whip. Midway through her training, Sara sighed, circling the area Ria was practicing in.

"Very good, but we need better. Walter will be a formidable foe. You need to do your best and more, Ria," she said, crossing her arms and looking towards the house in a wistful way.

Ria cracked the whip at a low-hanging tree branch, breaking the limb cleanly from the rest of the tree. Turning, she watched as Sara appeared lost in thought. Shaking her head, she continued with training, using the fallen branch for practice. She wrapped the whip around it and threw it into the air. Then, with another crack, she split it in two. Then, with a cry, she split each half in half. Four pieces fell where there had previously been one. When she looked to the specter for approval, she was still looking the other way. Ria coiled the whip and carried it on her right shoulder, heading towards the house. This shocked Sara into response.

"Ria, where are you going?" Sara asked, following.

She walked up the stairs and into her room, putting the whip away inside her laptop case. Sara sighed.

"We are _not_ going back to the café," Sara said, crossing her arms and stopping in the doorway as her trainee dressed. "Your mother isn't even back yet."

"Well, it's not like you're paying attention. And besides, I think I've mastered the tree. Maybe I should try a moving target?"

Sara blinked in surprise. Then, she smiled softly. "Okay. Later tonight, we'll go to the cemetery on the west side of town. Surely there will be a vampire victim rising. You can kill one that way."

Ria smiled brightly. She felt strange to have such a reaction to the prospect of engaging in a potentially fatal battle. However, she was glad that she could now put her skills into use. Sara nodded decisively.

"Yes, you're right. With this mission approaching, you should be preparing harder than ever. Walter is dangerous. Very dangerous," she muttered, appearing to give a shudder.

Ria shook her head again, slumping down on the side of her bed. "Sara, you don't have to keep saying that to get me to understand it. I got it. He's evil. As bad as Dracula. It scares the shit out of me just thinking about fighting him. But I know what I'm up against. I read all about it in the journals. Leon's account. Word for word. I got it."

But now Sara shook her head vehemently. Her lips were pulled tight and thin, and her eyes were wide.

"No, you don't have it. You have Leon's side of the story, which is bad enough. But you don't have mine. I was with Walter for about a week's time before Leon got to me. You don't know what happened."

Ria took a deep breath. It had never occurred to Ria to ask her ghostly companion to tell her _own _side of the story. Not her part of anything, least of all her kidnapping. Ria stood, stepping closer to Sara.

"Then tell me. I want to know. What did he do to you?"

Sara backed away as if Ria could actually reach out and grab her. "No. No. I couldn't…bear it."

"But I should know! You keep saying yourself, I don't know about Walter the way you do! Having you slide me tidbits while I'm fighting him isn't going to do me any good. I'll be dead that way, and you know it. Tell me, please, Sara."

But Sara was looking backwards, out of Ria's bedroom door. When she spoke again, her voice sounded strained, choked.

"I c-can't. It's just…too hard. Even after all these centuries."

"Please. I have to know. I feel horrible asking, really."

Sara looked at Ria, appearing to be searching her eyes. Finally, she shook her head.

"So like Sonia. She asked this of me as well. Her argument was closer to the same, as well, only no Walter involved that time. And just like now, I told her that I couldn't tell her. However…I did show her. But she was much older than you are now. There are…several things that I would hesitate in showing you."

Ria gave a half-smile. "But actually sending me up against the vampire lord is okay?"

Sara returned her smile. "I see your point. Okay, I'll show you."

Ria tried not to look too excited. After all, these were probably Sara's most horrible memories. But it was hard not to be excited. She was going to see Sara's history, which was—in a way—apart of her own.

"Okay," Ria said, feeling her nerves firing, "how do we do this?"

"Try not to look _too_ happy, Adriana," Sara snapped.

Ria blushed. "I'm so sorry. It's just…I've never known much about any member of my family. My father didn't have any brothers or sisters, and his parents died before I was born. My mother had this whole history, and she never even hinted at it. I'm an only child. I've always felt…unimportant isn't the right word, but it's close. Lost or disconnected might be closer. I've always known that there was something strange about my mother…about me. It's just oddly comforting to be finally getting to the root of that feeling and finding out that I wasn't wrong."

Sara smiled sadly. Nodding, she said. "I understand. Shall we begin?"

Ria nodded. "What do I do?"

"Sit down. Then, I'll…well, sit on you. I'll blend into you, and you'll experience the memories I want you to see as if they happened to you. You'll say what I said, hear what I heard, see what I saw. But I'll distance myself enough so that you, thankfully, won't feel what I felt. At least, not the horrible, physical things I felt. I'll let you feel what I felt emotionally, as well as the tiny, physical things."

Ria's eyes brightened. "Like in that movie, _Ghost_. How he could possess people and use them to talk."

Sara's eyes narrowed. "Not quite. I can't actually make you do anything physical. And you won't move. In fact, you should lay flat. That way, you'll look like you're sleeping."

Ria obeyed, closing her eyes as soon as her head hit her pillow.

"Ready when you are," she said.

"Okay. Then I'll start at the beginning."

Ria didn't feel it happening. Suddenly, she just found herself sitting in a study, writing at a desk. There was a quill in her hand, and she was dipping it in an inkwell and writing words she couldn't read. Ria had no idea how to write so deftly with a quill. The room was lit with a harsh candlelight. She was surrounded by books and felt a swell of pride with each quill stroke.

Thank you, God Almighty, Ria thought a thought that was not hers. Thank you, Lord, that my father schooled me in the arts of reading and writing.

A knock from a far off room—the front door, Ria somehow knew—sounded against the night. She knew that there was no need to move from her desk. A maidservant would answer the door for the family. Moments later, such a young woman scuttled into the study and up to Ria, curtsying slightly.

"Miss Trantoul, Master Cronqvist is here to see you. He says that it is rather urgent," the maid said, never meeting her mistress's eyes.

Ria rose from her desk, thoughts of the girl's silliness going through her mind.

"But of course it is urgent, if he's out of bed. He's been ill, near death, since Elisabetha died!" Ria said, rushing around the girl.

Ria had not meant to say anything. Had not known what she would say. But the words had come just as easily as breathing. Like she had always known who Elisabetha and Master Cronqvist was. She had read about both in the journals, but she felt as if she had met them now. Known them, had had conversations with them. Ria rushed into the entrance hall of her—Sara's, Ria reminded herself—lush manor, a manor to rival that of House Belmont.

A man leaned against the frame of the still-open doorway to the manor. And Ria knew him in an instant, an odd feeling of unease pulling at the back of her mind. His long, black hair looked sinewy, in the way that a sick person's hair often did. He was pale, whiter than nature had ever intended anyone to be. His lips, once a bright, health pink Ria—Sara—remembered, were now ashen. He was fully dressed in a noblemen's garb, but simply standing was looking like quite a chore for him.

"Matthias!" Ria called, rushing forward to put his arm around her shoulders. "You should sit. You haven't any strength; you've been sick for so long!"

But Matthias lightly, weakly, refused to be moved.

"No," he croaked, as if he had had no water for days. "Something is wrong. You must come quickly, Miss Trantoul."

Ria arched a brow. "What is it? What's happened? Should I fetch my father?"

Matthias shook his head quickly, nearly sending him to the floor. Ria helped him to steady himself.

"No," he said again. "Leon's only requested you."

"Leon?"

"Yes. His ship arrived earlier than expected. Hours ago, but I've just received this news. He's ill, my dear. He's at the doctor's house and is not doing well. He asked to see only his beloved fiancée. You must come quickly!"

Ria felt her heart stop for a few precious seconds. Her darling Leon was ill…dying, quite possibly. She lost no more time. Nodding, she followed Matthias out of the manor, without so much as informing a servant as to her destination.

As soon as they had cleared the gates of Trantoul Manor, Ria looked around in wonderment. The town that was coming to know around her modern day home was so far away, separated by unpaved roads and forestation. And the forest itself, the great mass of it that her ancestors—Leon, Trevor, Simon, Christopher, Richter…all of them—had called Eternal Night, was so close to the approaching Belmont Manor, which looked, in essence, unchanged by the many centuries. Suddenly, Ria was struck with a feeling of confusion. Had Matthias not said that Leon was at the doctor's home?

"Matthias, we are going the wrong way, are we not?" she asked of the man leading the way, whose walk appeared stronger than he had seemed capable of moments ago.

"No. Belmont Manor is indeed this way," he replied.

Ria shook her head. "But, you said the doctor's home was where Leon was at."

At this, Matthias paused and turned to her. "Did I? Forgive me, I have not been well, as you know. The illness must have played with my memory. I meant Belmont Manor, my dear."

He turned and began the walk again, with Ria following unquestioningly. However, as they approached the gate to Belmont Manor, and Matthias did not slow, she began to grow uneasy. She stopped, briefly, only to be caught by the arm by Matthias, who pulled her on.

"What are you doing?" she asked as they approached the forest. "You said that you were taking me to Leon!"

He did not answer, pulling her through the barrier of trees. He pulled at her as Ria began to struggle, shocked at his apparent gain of strength, for she could not break free.

"Let me go!"

Matthias stopped suddenly, still not looking at her. He looked ahead, as if he were looking into a certain room in a home, although it looked like nothing but more forest to Ria.

"I have her," he called into the night. "This is Lord Leon Belmont's love, and he will come for her."

Ria stared at him, her eyes narrow. Suddenly, a rather large, black bat hovered before the two. She gasped as the bat went from its present form into that of a man with long red hair, crimson armor, and a wicked look on his pale features.

"Well, done, Lord Cronqvist. I shall have much fun with this game," the creature boomed.

The creature reached out for Ria, who seemed to have lost her voice, when Matthias jerked her out of reach.

"You will keep your bargain, Walter. I will be made a vampire!" he demanded.

"What?" Ria gasped. "Matthias, you can't mean that!"

He ignored her as Walter laughed.

"When my game is completed, Cronqvist. No sooner. And that _was_ part of the bargain, if you will remember. Now, give me the woman and complete your part."

"No…" Ria begged quietly. "Matthias, don't…Leon…he's your friend…I am your friend. Don't do this!"

There was no remorse in the dark haired man's features, and he made no apologies. Ria screamed as she felt Walter's icy hand grabbed her by the hand and pull her into him. He smiled down at her.

"Sleep, girl," he said, placing his other hand over her eyes.

Things were black for a moment. Suddenly, Sara's voice—like someone whispering in Ria's ear—broke in.

"It just gets worse, Ria. Are you sure you want to continue?" she asked.

"Yes," Ria whispered, not sure if she said it or thought it.

Her sight returned to her, blurry at first, then clearing. She was in a prison-like cell. The floor she was lying on was damp and cold and stone. She could hear water running in the distance. The only light was a handful of small candles, in a room that was fairly large. She sat up, shivering with the sudden cold she felt.

"Hello?" she called tentatively.

"Well, hello there, human," slithered a voice from the darkness.

Ria jumped to her feet, hugging her arms about her.

"Who are you? I can't see you. Where am I?"

Out of the shadows stepped a man—a vampire, Ria corrected herself—as pale as Walter had been. His hair was long and white, and he was dressed in fine, navy robes. He smiled at her in the way Ria imaged a snake might smile at its food.

"You've been brought to Hell on this earth, child. And so young…you will wither here, flower," the vampire answered, stepping towards her.

Ria drew herself up and backed away to the door, which was metal and rusted almost to the point of being stuck shut. She turned, beginning to beat at the door.

"Let me out!" she shrieked into the darkness she could see through a small window in the door—small enough for only eyes to peek through.

The vampire began to laugh as Ria turned, pressing her back up against the door again. His laughter grew until he was bent double with it. Anger bubbled up within her, and she took two steps forward.

"Stop it! Nothing is funny about this, you monster!" she yelled at him, instantly gasping and pressing her hands over her mouth.

The vampire's laughter reduced itself into chuckled until he only grinned at her. Shaking his head, he bowed lightly.

"You asked my name? I am Joachim Armster, pathetic girl. Do lowly animals even have names?" he said, chuckling.

Ria felt the anger again, but suppressed it. "I assume you are asking my name? It's Sara. Sara Trantoul."

It should have felt strange to call herself Sara, but Ria had heard the name flow through her lips as if her name had always been such. Joachim bowed again.

"And what does—" and here, he grimaced, "_Walter_ want with such a pretty girl? Another one of his games? He does so love to play. Be warned, he cheats."

Joachim moved away a few paces from Ria and sat down upon the stone floor, his back to her. Ria blinked a few times, then took a few steps closer to him.

"So…you don't intend to hurt me?" she asked.

Joachim laughed again, cutting it off sooner than he had before. Turning towards her, he smiled.

"Me? No, not me. It's Walter you have to fear. I'll not touch you…although…"

Joachim stood and moved so quickly that he had backed Ria up against the door once again, and was putting a hand against her cheek. His face was inches from hers and his hand was colder than ice.

"Although…I should _love_ another shot at Walter…draining your precious blood would be useful to me in that way," he whispered.

"Don't," she whispered back.

It wasn't a plea. It wasn't a demand. It simply was how she felt. Joachim smiled at this statement, tapped her lightly on her nose with his right index finger, and backed away to sit on the floor—facing her this time.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, leaning against the door. She turned her head to the right, her eyes downward.

"He'll do horrible things to you," Joachim said, matter-of-factly. "Just dreadful things."

Ria closed her eyes and held them that way for a moment. Then, she nodded.

"I know. But I will endure. All I have to do is endure…until Leon comes for me," she said, crossing her arms and reopening her eyes.

Joachim grinned his serpent's grin. "He will, will he? And who is this Leon? Your lover?"

Ria felt a blush rise in her. "My fiancée," she hissed. "Not my lover. We are a pure couple, waiting for marriage, as God decreed."

Joachim let out a cackle, shaking his head. "What makes you so sure that one so…unattached to you will come? All the two of you have exchanged are words. Empty, meaningless, promises."

"He loves me," she said, without hesitation.

Joachim eyed her up and down. "Does he love you…or your dowry, child?"

Ria looked down at herself, realizing for the first time that she was in the same, blue dress that Sara always wore. Her hair and body felt the same, but her outfit was quite different. When she looked back at the vampire, she was glaring.

"He loves _me_. There's no question! He will come for me."

Suddenly, Joachim was staring past her at the door in a way that instinctually told her to step forward. When she turned, she heard the approaching footsteps.

"Here's the one that truly comes for you," Joachim said, retreating back into shadow.

Ria could only stare in horror as the door opened and in stepped Walter, followed by two skeletons dressed in silver armor and helmets with dual horns protruding from either side. The skeletons each took one of Ria's arms and walked her up to Walter. He bent to put his lips almost right upon her ear. She gasped, her face twisting into a scowl.

"Let's get to know one another," he whispered. Then, straightening himself, he ordered the skeletons to take her away.

Ria lost count of the rooms and halls they led her through, Walter following behind. It seemed to take forever until, finally, they arrived at a mostly empty room. This room was brightly lit by numerous candles and its only possession were shackles handing down from the ceiling. The skeletons led her forth and stopped just before the shackles. As they reached for the chains, to clasp them about her wrists, Walter bade them to wait a moment.

He approached Ria from behind. Bending to whisper again, he said, "I would absolutely hate to ruin such a lovely dress."

The dress's tight corset top loosened. She felt Walter's hands rest on her shoulders for a moment, then suddenly, her dress was pulled down until the top half of her was exposed. Ria felt a hot blush cover her body as the skeletons locked her wrists into the shackles, raising her arms above her head. One of the skeletons moved behind her as the other and Walter moved to stand a ways in front of her.

"I was bored," Walter said with a sigh. "Then I was thinking of how rude a host I must be. You've been here for hours, and I have not even inquired as to your well-being. Nor have I made any attempts to get to know you. Cronqvist mentioned your name is Sara, and as you must know, my name is Walter. What kinds of things do you like, Miss Sara?"

Ria bit her bottom lip, aimed her eyes at the wall above Walter's head, and said nothing. Walter smiled an almost pleasant smile.

"Shy? No matter. Do you know what I like?"

Again, she said nothing. Walter continued, regardless.

"I like blood, Sara. And do you know my favorite way to obtain blood, Sara? Pain, my dear. I like to see blood following pain…especially from beautiful maidens such as yourself. So, I'm going to indulge in that which I like. Do try to be enjoyable."

Ria heard the crack of a whip, but felt nothing. However, she still made a face of pain and cried out. Another crack, another scream. But she still felt nothing, actually. This must have been what Sara had meant. She would keep Ria from feeling Walter's tortures. The whipping continued, Walter's smile growing wider—and perverse. And Ria continued to mimic the reactions Sara had had so long ago to the intense pain that she now shielded Ria from. Tears were rolling.

There was a brief pause as Walter raised his hand and stepped up to her. He put a finger against one of the slashes left by the whip, and she screamed as he ran it all the way up the open flesh. Then, he put the bloodied finger to his mouth and licked off the blood. His eyes closed and he groaned pleasurably.

"There is no finer vintage than a virgin's blood. A little longer, girl, then I shall return you to your cell," he said, stepping back.

With a nod from its master, the skeleton continued. Ria screamed and screamed. Then, several whips later, she felt one connect with her flesh, with real pain. This time, the scream was more than justified.

"I'm sorry!" whispered Sara's voice in Ria's ear. "I got swept up in the past. It won't happen."

"That's okay," Ria replied.

Walter began to circle around Ria until he stood behind her. The whipping, however, had not been ordered to be stopped. Suddenly, Ria's face made a different expression. It was still one of pain, but it was not as shocking as the pain of whipping. Suddenly, everything went black again.

When Ria regained consciousness, she was laying on the floor of the cell again, fully dressed. Her back stung so badly, that she raised herself into a sitting position as quickly as she could, although she desperately wanted to rest her weary limbs.

"Tck, tck, tck," Joachim, standing over her, clicked his tongue at her. "Such a beating. I have a respect for you, girl. Most humans would still be unconscious."

Tears were leaking down Ria's face, but she was not sobbing. She shook her head.

"What if Leon doesn't come? What will happen to me?" she whispered.

Joachim sat down beside her. "He will come. That's the whole point Walter has you."

Ria looked at the vampire strangely.

"Moments ago, you were saying that Leon would not come. What's changed?"

He shook his head.

"I've seen your strength. Only a strong man would pair with you, and no strong man would let his fiancée go willingly. He will come."

Ria couldn't help but smile at Joachim. "I hope you're right."

Days, at least four or five, passed in this manner. Ria would be sent for, whipped or physically tortured in some way, and be returned to the cell, where Joachim would play the unlikely angel and reassure her that Leon would come for her. However, these days seemed like moments to Ria, as Sara played them through her mind. The memories slowed once more, however, as the night of what must have been the fifth or sixth night, arrived. Ria was pacing in front of Joachim, who was smiling wickedly at her. Walter had not yet come for her this night.

"Leon will come. I know it! I feel it! He's on his way now. He might even be in the castle tonight!" she said.

It was not a mantra. It felt like fact to her. She was lecturing Joachim on the truth of his reassurances of days past. The two were in the center of their cell.

"Tonight. He could be here tonight, fighting his way through for me."

Suddenly, the door opened. Walter chuckled as Ria whirled to face him, trying to look resolute.

"Oh, child, he will come for you soon," Walter said, a dark mirth underlying his voice. "But it doesn't matter. He will come not to save you."

Ria scoffed and stepped defiantly towards the master vampire. She could feel Joachim's curious gaze on her back and heard him pull himself to his feet.

"Why else would he come? He'll save me, killing you, you hell spawn!"

Walter approached her, placing an icy hand on her cheek. "It is too early for you to be feeling the effects, since I've only bitten you once. But it will happen, regardless. You are tainted, Sara. You'll become a creature of the night. A vampire."

Ria shook her head and withdrew from Walter's touch. From the cell's still-open door walked in two succubi, one with vibrant blond hair and the other with vibrant red. Both had their leather-like wings folded about their shoulders and were so scantily clad in barely covering corsets, that Ria wanted to blush for them. They stopped on either of Walter's sides, just behind him.

"You're lying!" she shrieked at Walter, convinced.

"I sank my fangs into your delicate skin the first night I tortured you, dear. And your blood flowed freely into me, until you lost consciousness. A single bite will turn you…but more slowly than three or the exchanging of blood. It's much more agonizing."

"No," she whispered.

"Grab her," Walter ordered.

Both succubi did as directed, carrying a kicking and screaming Ria towards the door. However, the group was stopped as Joachim approached Walter.

"I gave her hope," he said to Walter. "Just as you asked. I built up her hope, so that you could rip it away. I was promised freedom. Your word!"

Walter laughed and placed a hand on Joachim's left shoulder.

"I lied," he said, pushing Joachim so hard that the vampire's body flew across the room into the stone wall at the back of the cell.

Walter gestured and the succubi continued out of the door. The group did not stop until they had reached a room high in one of the castle's towers. Inside, was a lavish, black-dressed four-poster bed. The succubi threw Ria down upon it, each taking a side, and held her down. She lifted her head to stare at Walter, who stood at the end of the bed.

"You're lying," she said again, but with less confidence this time.

Walter smiled. "You'll know soon enough. But, until then, ponder this…"

Ria felt a cold hand slide up her leg, under her dress. Her eyes widened, and she gasped, trying to struggle.

"If I'm lying, then this is undeserved punishment. You are an innocent. But if I'm not, and I'm not, then you should enjoy this. You're a monster, a demon from hell, who deserves to be treated like a lowly whore," he said, sliding his hand up further. Then, with another smile, he added, "Don't worry. I'll only use my hand."

Everything went suddenly black, but Ria was sure that Sara had not lost consciousness in this memory.

"I won't show you the rest of that, Ria. You're too young," Sara's voice whispered.

"That's okay. I'm not sure I wanted to live that anyway. But I don't understand…"

"What?"

"Why did he do…_that_? He had no attraction to you, did he? Why would he…do that?"

Ria heard Sara sigh. She could almost imagine the sad look welling up in her eyes.

"He wanted me to feel shameful. Ashamed because I was feeling pleasure in my darkest moment…and not with Leon."

Ria nodded, once again not sure that she physically did the action. But she could find no words to comfort her friend. Sara sighed again.

"Just one more memory, Ria," she said. "A short one."

The scene faded back into sight. Ria was back in the cell, with Joachim sitting on the opposite side of the room. She was huddled into a corner. At least two nights had passed since that awful experience with Walter. And she felt strange. She was colder than usual. The cell was growing brighter, and no more candles had been added. And she felt thirsty in such a way that it was like it might never be quenched.

Ria knew. She knew it now. Walter was right. She was going to become a vampire. She still harbored a tiny glimmer of hope within her, but the flame of that candle was so tiny that it was practically nonexistent and the molten wax was swallowing it. The cell door opened. Walter's frame stood before her.

"Come, child. It's time to return you. Your beloved Leon awaits you," he said.

Ria did not even question. She was a void. She stood without struggle and followed Walter out of the cell.

And it was dark. Not the dark of Sara taking her out of memories or losing consciousness within the memories. It was the kind of dark that let Ria know that she was back in her own room, on her own bed, in her own body, with her eyes closed. She could not open them. Not yet.

"Ria?" came Sara's voice, worried. "Ria, are you all right?"

Ria felt a hot tear roll from the corner of her eye and down the side of her face.

"That monster…I can't believe he did that to you. I can't believe you went through all of that," she said, her throat tight and her eyes still closed.

Sara said nothing. Suddenly, Ria's eyes flew open. She saw Sara staring down at her, confused. But she was determined.

"Walter is_ so_ dead!"

* * *

End Notes: Jeez, this could've been a separate one-shot. Well, all of you who might have wanted longer chapters, welcome to chapter ten! I hope everyone liked it! And much kudos to Slinky_And_The_BloodyWands for giving me ideas for many of the scenes as well as letting me walk through them with her countless times. Well, this is a personal best for me. Usually my background chapters are just having the characters discuss what happened in the games. I decided to try and break myself of that. Tell me how I did, huh? Oh, and the scene where Ria (Sara) is being held down on the bed is partially inspired by the novel _Pamela._ Please review!

**Note on my Perception of Joachim:** Okay, I see him as crazy, but not so crazy that he doesn't sound sane. Does that make sense? I was trying to give him a character going on only having ever seen two cut scenes with him. And I've always wanted to use him in a fic. I kept going through different crazy characters who are my favorites in my head. It was difficult, but I hope I did a satisfactory job.

**Soundtrack for this Chapter:** Breaking Benjamin's "Dance with the Devil" and "Breath," Flyleaf's "I'm So Sick" and "Fully Alive," and Tool's "Sober." I'd like to bring particular attention to the second verse of "Sober." It began to play as I reached the scenes with Joachim. Fitting, huh?


	12. Why Me?

A/N- Thanks for all the great reviews! I got some really great ones for that last chapter. Well, I hope that this next chapter will get just as good reviews. Thanks again, and enjoy!

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Chapter 11- Why Me?

Sophy had still not returned from town as the sun began to set. This suited Ria's purpose just fine. She wore jeans that could stand a little wear and would allow decent movement. She also wore a t-shirt that fit nicely and extended just past her hips. It was black with a white design that resembled a face, but, upon closer inspection, would reveal the word "liar" to be spelled out in cursive. Sara shook her head as Ria coiled the whip—simply carrying it, unwilling to risk possible damage to her laptop—and checked herself out in the mirror.

"We're going to fight the evil undead, Ria. Not to a fashion exhibition," Sara laughed.

Ria turned, sneering playfully. "Hey, the right clothes are important for any occasion. Fighting vampires in a frilly dress, for example, inappropriate."

Sara chuckled and shook her head. "I can't argue. Are you ready?"

Ria nodded, a bit too eagerly. The two descended the staircase of the home and exited, locking the door behind them. As they cleared the front walkway and turned left, heading towards the graveyard, Sara glanced back at the house.

"Perhaps you should have left a note for Sophy. She wouldn't be so angry if you let her know the little things, like a time you'll be back," she said.

The hunter in training shrugged, adjusting the whip on her shoulder.

"It doesn't matter," she muttered.

Sara sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

The two were walking rather casually, allowing the sun the time it still needed to disappear beyond the horizon. Ria nodded, gesturing with her hand for her ghostly friend to continue.

"You were so angry at Sophy for asking you where you had been. Why? She was simply worried for you, worried you might have been hurt. I don't understand."

Ria sighed and shook her head, kicking up dirt with her sneakers. She glanced around at her surrounds, in lieu of delaying her answer, thankful for its relative desertedness. No houses out this way. Nothing but the graveyard and Eternal Night. Finally, she met her friend's eyes.

"It was stupid…I know. But, it was just wrong for her to be suddenly worried."

"How can that possibly be wrong, Ria?"

"You don't understand. Before Dad died…Mom didn't take much interest in things like that. I mean, she made rules, but Dad was really the one who enforced them. And he was pretty fair, I think. Not too lenient, but not a dictator of the house, you know? Mom would always push me off onto him if I did something wrong. And she never, ever, asked me why I had broken the rules. Dad was the enforcer."

Ria sighed, her eyes downcast as she recalled her father. Jared Smith had been a kind man, but firm. He had been a high school English teacher in her local school. She had even had to have him in class once. It had been her most difficult one ever. She smiled vaguely, remembering him lecturing her on the importance of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Poe, and good grammar. She sighed, suddenly aware that Sara was still staring at her, that they were still moving forward, and that her friend was waiting patiently for her to continue.

"It's just…it's like Mom feels like she has to _be_ Dad now. Like she has to replace him. It's driving me crazy. It started right before his funeral. I know she means well…but it's wrong."

Sara rested her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Perhaps you ought to tell her this?"

Ria let out a "ha" of disbelief. "Like she would listen! She would just think that I was being a melodramatic teenager!"

"I'm sure she's suffering too, Ria. Just give her some time, then try it."

The walk continued in silence for a ways. The sun cast its now red rays upon the earth. Ria found it slightly ominous to her upcoming challenge and took a deep breath. Finally, Sara cleared her throat, to gain her attention.

"If I may ask…how did your father die?" she said so quiet that it was almost a whisper.

"Cancer. The doctors caught it too late. He lived only a couple of months past the diagnosis. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. It must have been painful for you…and her."

Ria's mind suddenly flooded with a flurry of memories in the form of simple images. Her father as she had known him for most of her life—a handsome, smiling man who adored his family and job. Then, her father as he had appeared in his last weeks of life—weak, wasting, hooked up to every medical machine known to man, and in pain. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. She shook them away and sighed.

"Ah, can we stay focused on the upcoming task?" she asked, a bit louder than she had intended to.

"Of course, but Ria, if you ever need to talk to someone…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. The task? Me versus evil vampire, round one?"

Suddenly, as if time had been fast forwarded, the two found themselves standing just under the gateway to the cemetery with the sun completely gone. Ria sighed.

"You don't have to do this yet," Sara said, clasping her hands together in front of her.

"No. You're wrong. I do have to, otherwise Walter will have me as an appetizer," she replied, uncoiling the whip.

Sara shuddered. "Don't say that!"

"Uh, Sara?"

"Yes?"

The two advanced ever so slightly into the graveyard.

"How do I know which grave has a vampire?"

Sara turned to stare at her, clearly without an answer. However, the cosmos had her covered. From a grave a few yards in front of her, a hand thrust up out of the freshly piled soil. Ria grinned sheepishly.

"Never mind."

She advanced, not too closely, allowing the creature to pull itself completely out of the ground.

"Remember your training, Ria. Just like the tree…only, this tree can move."

"Like the Whomping Willow, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind. Not important," Ria said, stepping forward as the vampire was now fully risen.

It was a man in his late twenties, still in the navy suit he had been buried in. His short, black hair had earthen roots in it, and his long, white fangs were bared.

"My first meal…" he hissed at Ria.

Ria grinned cockily at him, going into a stance. "I don't think so."

He laughed at her, seeing her choice of weapon. She merely continued to grin. When he shook his head at her, she crooked her finger in a "come here" move. He smiled like a hungry coyote and rushed at her.

She struck out and the whip connected with his neck, leaving seared-open wound, exposing muscle. The monster no longer smiled. Instead, it was now both Ria and Sara did so.

"Very good! Keep it up! Don't let your guard down and power through. He's young, not too strong," Sara instructed, placing herself off to the side of the fight, like a referee at a sporting event.

Ria nodded curtly as the newly made vampire came at her again. She ducked this time and rolled out of the way, lashing at his back as she popped back up. Another connect. He howled in pain.

"I'll pick my teeth with your bones!" he shouted at her.

Ria rolled her eyes. "My, my. I bet you watched a lot of cheesy horror movies when you were alive."

When he rushed at her again, Ria, still crouched, lashed her whip at his knee. He lost balance and toppled past her as she rolled back to her original position. She stood.

"He hasn't got control of his strength yet. A good choice of target for him, but I wouldn't try it on a more powerful vampire," Sara said, arms crossed.

"Noted," Ria muttered.

The vampire recovered, launching himself at her once more. It was time to end it. The vampire had his neck extended in his lunge. Ria struck out, wrapping the whip around his neck, and pulled. The power over the vampires that it held took effect, and the vampire's head rolled to the ground, free of its body. Both were dust in moments. Sara smiled and clapped.

"Very well done. You weren't even hurt. Much better than Sonia or even Leon on their first try," she said, approaching the girl.

Ria beamed. "Thanks! No criticism?"

"None that I haven't already given. Considering your training time and amount, you did very well. Let's head home. You should rest. We'll go the café tomorrow to celebrate, then try again tomorrow night, if you're up to it?"

Ria nodded, almost dancing her way out of the cemetery. Sara laughed. The two chattered endlessly about the fight. Sara laughed at the explanation Ria gave her of her feelings of the moment.

"It was unreal…but so cool! I mean, I _did_ it, Sara! I killed that frickin' sucker!" she said, punching the air with the fist she had the whip gathered up in.

"Sucker is…appropriate," Sara laughed. "I'm proud, but don't let it go to your head, okay? Carelessness is the fastest route to death."

"I know, I know! Don't be a buzz-kill!" Ria laughed, smiling playfully at her friend.

Suddenly, Sara came to a complete halt. Ria stopped as well, a brow arched. The two were still not within sight of Belmont Manor. Ria looked around, trying to figure out the reason for their sudden stop.

"What?" she asked, giving up trying to find an explanation of her own.

"Ssh!" Sara said, putting a finger to her lips. After a moment, she added, whispering, "Do you hear that?"

Ria quieted herself, straining to hear. At first, all she could hear was silence. Finally, she heard it. It sounded…wind-like. Like the flapping of a bird's wing. Then, after a little bit longer, she noticed that it had the sound of leather to it…like a bat's wing.

"Ria, look out!" Sara suddenly shouted.

Ria saw the cause for the warning just as Sara had shouted. From the sky rained a series of fireballs in Ria's direction. The girl ducked and rolled out of their path. Once she was in the clear, she cast her eyes skyward, looking for the cause. It was not hard to find.

A demon, blue and muscular, with skin like leather yet somehow akin to stone and wings to match snarled down upon her. It hovered, screeching at the girl.

"It's a gaibon!" Sara shouted.

Ria didn't care what it was. It was a demon that was firing at her. It had to go. She let the whip unfurl once more out of her hand.

"Suggestions?" she called to Sara, dodging another series of fireballs.

"Jump and hit…avoid the fire?" she replied, shrugging. "You're not really ready for something like this!"

"Gee, you think?"

Gaibon screeched and landed, its chest puffing to release more fireballs. Ria took her chance.

"I don't think so!" she shouted, striking.

The hit connected, catching a wing. The creature howled in pain, and released only a couple of its intended shots. Ria rolled and struck again, now that she had grounded it. She caught its other wing, tearing a hole clean through it.

It charged at her, no longer able to fly. Ria screamed and dove out of the way. Sara shook her head.

"I've never seen one do that before!"

"Damn it!" Ria shouted as it turned to fire again.

"Kill it! Kill it!" Sara called.

"What the hell do you think I'm trying to do, Sara?"

As the fireballs came at the girl, Ria moved only far enough to get out of the line of attack. She lashed out, connecting the whip much in the way she had when she had finally killed the vampire.

"Here goes!" she said, tugging with all her might. This was soon followed by a loud, "Whoa!"

The gaibon had changed into a crimson red and had leapt into the air, airborne for a minute. But that minute was all that Ria needed. Recovering quickly, she pulled, turning her weight into an anchor. The head rolled off the gaibon's body, and it crashed back to earth. The body erupted into flames, until only bone fragments were left. Ria hit the ground, hard, huffing and puffing.

"Damn!" she shouted again.

"Ria! Oh, dear! Are you okay?" Sara asked, rushing over.

"Ow," she said, sitting up.

She inspected the left sleeve of her shirt. "I think it singed me a bit when I wrapped my whip around its neck."

"Better a singe than death," Sara said, sighing with relief.

"Always the optimist."

Ria sneered and pushed herself to her feet. Sara smiled.

"Let's get home…fast."

Ria had no arguments. She began to move so fast, she was almost running towards her home. She had not even gathered the whip up again, simply letting it drag along the ground.

"How did that demon find us?" Ria asked.

Sara was having no trouble keeping up, of course. She shrugged, holding her skirts up as if the dirt could actually affect them.

"I don't know, really. The evil of the world must be aware of you…or at least, becoming aware of you, Ria. The Belmont power is almost supreme amongst the world of hunters. The only power I say that could really rival the Belmont lineage is Alucard's, given his vampiric heritage."

"So, what?" Ria asked, Belmont Manor coming into view. "Evil has a good-dar? It'll be after me now?"

"I think so…the clock is quickly winding down."

The manor was still far out of reach for the pair. Ria's brow furrowed, her thoughts turning to her mother now. If evil was coming for her…it would find her at her home…where Sophy was. Her mother, an innocent in all regards, was in danger…because of her. Her heart sped up, remembering that her mother had not been at home when she had left.

"We have hurry," she muttered, moving even faster now.

Sara did nothing to acknowledge her statement, only matching speeds. However, as they drew closer, another figure appeared in their path. Ria swore, using a word she was sure that neither Sara nor her mother would be happy to hear her say.

"What now?" she muttered.

The answer came soon enough. His red hair blazing even in this moonless night, Isaac stood with a sardonic smile spread across his face.

"Lady Belmont, we meet again," he said, bowing low.

Ria stopped and crossed her arms, the whip dragging across her feet.

"It's Smith, if you must know. My last name is Smith, and I don't have time for you right now," Ria snapped.

Isaac raised a brow. "Smith? Really? You should've informed me before, my dear."

"I'm not your 'dear.'"

From a holster on his back, Isaac withdrew a long spear. It was crimson red, with a gleaming blade and two bat-shaped wings protruding from either side underneath the blade.

"The Chauve-Souris, my favorite weapon. You know, I really can't abide a draw. Let's conclude our little fight, shall we?"

Ria sighed, taking the same stance she had taken when fighting the vampire. "If you want your ass kicked, that's fine by me."

Isaac laughed, high and cold. "My, my, aren't we sure of ourself? Come, child!"

He charged her, spear held like a battering ram. Ria, almost lazily, side-stepped and wrapped her whip around his weapon, pulling. It was sent flying. Isaac's eyes were wide. He recovered, growling. When Ria moved to strike, he rolled, picking up the spear on his way. He lunged again, this time managing to cut Ria's arm, just below her burn. She cried out, but did not dare stop moving.

"Very good! You've improved…but you still can't beat me!" he taunted.

Ria struck, catching his chest. He cried out and leapt back, looking down at the wound she had inflicted through his slashed black shirt. It was clean, about three inches long. He dipped his fingers into it, bringing them to his lips, and licking the blood off of them.

"Very impressive, girl. Do it again."

Ria's eyes were now the ones that were wide. She shook off her appall and struck at him again. This time, he used his spear to catch the whip, pulling Ria to him. He caught her in his arms, laughing.

"You'll be quite formidable with a bit more training," he said, holding her as she struggled.

"Ria!" Sara shouted.

"Let me go!" Ria shouted, kicking at him.

He chuckled. Then, much to Ria's shock, he planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "As you wish."

He pushed her from him. She landed on her backside. By the time she looked back up, Isaac was gone. Sara shook her head.

"What was that about? Why won't he kill you?"

Ria stared at her friend, jaw set. "Gee…I don't know. Nice to know that you're worried about the fact that he could've!!"

Sara shook her head. "I'm sorry! It's just…the bad guys usually don't run off quite like that, not when they can easily defeat you. Not to say that I'm sorry that he did!"

"Hey! I think I gave him a run for his money!" Ria said, standing and brushing herself off.

"That is true. Come on, we'll finish this discussion at home."

The two moved on, at slower pace, convinced that they could encounter no more this night. However, once they reached the gates of Belmont Manor, they found themselves proven quite wrong. Leaning on the threshold of the gate, arms crossed, was a pale, bald vampire dressed in purple armor. Ria froze.

"That's a vampire," she said stupidly.

"That's a master vampire," Sara corrected.

Ria let out a noise that was a mixture of a whine and a groan. The vampire looked up and smiled wide. He bowed, bring a hand across his chest, turned palm up.

"Greetings, child. I am Lord Orlox, master vampire and magician. You would be a Belmont, yes?" he said, a bit too pleasantly.

"It's not going to help if I say no, is it?" Ria asked. Orlox guffawed.

"No, I'm afraid not."

"But…I'm a Smith by name."

"But a Belmont by blood, and take it from someone who knows…it's the blood that matters."

Ria nodded. She cast a worried glance at Sara, not caring if the vampire saw her stare at what would look like no one to him. When she looked back, she groaned.

"What do you want?"

"To get to know _you_," he said.

Ria readied herself, correctly interpreting what he meant. He laughed. There was a brief moment where neither moved, and even the two present that did not breathe appeared to be holding their breath. Finally, Ria struck. When she looked again, there was no one there.

"Behind you!" Sara shouted.

Ria turned two seconds too late and found a purple ball of light connecting with her chest, throwing her back. She looked up from her place on the ground at the grinning, skeletal-like vampire.

"Not bad…but you are very new to this, aren't you? We'll be seeing you again, I'm sure. I'll give Lord Walter your regards," he said, bowing once more.

"No!" Ria shouted, launching herself at Orlox. However, he was gone long before she had even gotten to her feet.

"He's going to tell Walter, Sara. My mother…" Ria said, staring at the spot where the vampire had been.

Sara sighed. "All things in their time. We knew this was going to happen, Ria. Let's go in. We'll deal with the consequences of this night later."

Ria nodded, following her friend inside her dimly lit home, where she found Sophy peacefully asleep on the couch. Blissfully unaware of the danger her daughter had just thrown her into.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, I hope the endless fights didn't seem monotonous. I just wanted Ria to have a really crappy night, ha. Also, a little Harry Potter joke in there…I couldn't resist. When I was talking to Slinky, I made a mention of the dialogue I planned to use for Sara, which I followed by laughing and mentioning the willow. I decided that maybe Ria would so something similar. Well, please review!


	13. Tension

A/N- Thanks for all the great reviews! Sorry for the wait, too. I really got going on some one-shots/drabbles and my VHD fic. And I can also tell you that this chapter will probably be a great deal shorter than the previous two…but perhaps the chapter following won't be. Well, hope you enjoy this one!

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Chapter 12- Tension

Isaac appeared outside the doors to the throne room of Castlevania with a sigh. He flicked the minuscule amount of blood from the girl's cut from his spear and sheathed it. She was growing stronger; there was no doubt. Her first move had been inspiring, knocking his weapon from him. And he had been stupid to fall for it.

He simply stared at the closed, double doors. He was not yet ready to face Walter, with a report that would have to be mostly fabricated. He had made no progress on his search for Dracula…that much would be true. But this girl…this Adriana Smith…he had learned much about her. He had been in the shadows, watching her since their first battle, whenever he could spare the time without looking suspicious to Walter. He was _sure_ that this girl was key in restoring Dracula to his proper throne of Castlevania…but he was not quite sure just how she would help.

Many things mystified him about her. He had not forgotten the unexpected "shock" that ended their first battle. Again, with as much free time as he could rightfully spare, he had scoured spellbook after spellbook for an answer. He had found none. It was too powerful to be considered mere…friction as these modern scientists called it and not powerful enough to be actual lightning. It had been its own entity, and yet still apart of both the battle participants. And the mere moment of that "shock" was driving Isaac mad.

He resigned himself to fact that he must face Walter and pushed open the right-side, decaying door. When his eyes rose to the crimson-haired vampire, he paused. Smiling at Walter's side, his face upturned towards Isaac but his body bent as if he had been sharing a secret with the new master of Castlevania, was Count Orlox. Isaac expelled air through his nose—the best growl he could make, given his situation and company. He approached the throne as Orlox backed away, back still bent in a bow, and left the room. Without sparing Orlox much of a stare, Isaac knelt.

"My Lord, I've come to report—" he began, but Walter interrupted.

"Nothing, I suspect."

Isaac's eyes shot up, finding Walter looming over him now. He stood, slowly, unsure what exactly this usurper meant by his words.

"Nothing, milord?"

Walter laughed his booming, room-filling laugh and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I suspect that you've made no progress on your hunt for Dracula…nor do you have…_anything_ other to report…do you?"

Isaac fought a grimace. "_No_, milord. I haven't made progress…and why would I have something else to report?"

Walter said nothing and turned his eyes away from his blood-bonded slave. Isaac took this as a dismissal and turned to leave. This was a mistake, however. He heard the attack too late, turning just in time to see a ball of orange fire hurtling towards his chest. Isaac unsheathed his spear, but it did no good. The blast connected and sent the devil forger across the room. He skidded an extra foot or so on his back. When the pain finally subsided enough for him to catch his breath, he looked up.

Walter towered over him, an evil look of loathing upon his twisted, downturned face. Isaac could not help but let his eyes widen in shock—and what Walter would probably assume was fear. The vampire stooped and easily lifted Isaac well off his feet, holding him aloft by his throat. Isaac let his spear drop, despite his wishes to strike the offender down—knowing that the bond made him choose to do the latter. He gagged, kicking ever so slightly in the air.

"Miscreant! How dare you keep information from _me_!" Walter shouted.

And on the count of "me," he hurled Isaac against the nearest wall. He slid to the floor, gasping for air. When finally he had a sufficient supply back in his body, he glared up at his master.

"What do you mean?" he croaked, rubbing in vain the soreness of his throat.

"The Belmont girl! Do not play the fool, Isaac! I know you are not one, given the fact that I have chosen you! Why hide the miserable human from me?" the Lord of Castlevania roared.

Isaac tore his eyes away from Walter, unable to come up with a suitable answer. As it seemed, silence was also wrong. The vampire drew back his hand and swung it around to land a resounding smack across Isaac's right cheek. He groaned, sure that Walter had broken his jaw. When he felt of it, he found it only dislocated. With a cry of pain, he pulled it back in place.

Walter grinned down sinisterly at his slave. Then, he shook his head, clucking his tongue in mock pity.

"Learn your lesson and your place. Do not cross me again."

With that, he returned to his throne. And this time, Isaac was sure this was dismissal, gathering up his fallen spear. However, he did not leave without grumbling, "Yes, master."

…………………

The next day, for Ria, passed quickly and…well, there wasn't a word for the level of anxiety that pervaded every bone of the teen's body. She had gone through three mugs of coffee at the café, which Sara had insisted she go to in order to lift her spirits. Ria was now sure, as she made her way home from her "celebratory" outing, that that had been a bad idea. She was quickly discovering that caffeine plus anxiety equaled extra special jitters. She was almost physically shaking when she found herself on the dusk-lit road to Belmont Manor.

"Are you all right?" Sara inquired, peering nervously at her trainee.

Ria shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine, fine. Fit as a fiddle. Just…want to get home."

Sara nodded, eyes wide and almost assuredly wanting to not agitate Ria further. As the two turned onto the pathway to the door of the manor, Sara cleared her throat.

"As much as I hate to suggest it, perhaps tomorrow night we ought to see Alucard again…he hasn't been at the café…"

Ria nodded, knowing that she meant that they would have to go to his hotel room. Ria did actually shudder at the thought of her last meeting with the half-blood. He had been nothing like she had expected, and she did not relish the thought of any more…odd advances.

Ria opened the door to the manor, a little dismayed to find it unlocked. She passed by the living room, noting that Sophy was busily—and safely—arranging newly acquired furniture around. She took the stairs two at a time not bothering to acknowledge Sara's presence for the moment.

Which would explain the reason she did not so much as even blink as Sara muttered something about "a bad feeling." Instead, Ria simply pushed open the door to her bedroom…and froze.

"I come in peace," Isaac said, sneering from his seat at the end of Ria's bed.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so yeah, not as long, but I did quite enjoy this little scene at the end—it was decided upon at the last minute. Well, please review! I'll try to get back to this little cliffy as soon as possible!


	14. An Unlikely Alliance

A/N- Just a warning, this chapter will probably be a lot of talk. Of course, I have this unexplainable love for dialogue, so I'm okay with this. haha. Also, I've added a new poll to my profile, asking what older story people would like to see me work on and finish, please go vote and let me know! Thanks! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 13- An Unlikely Alliance

Ria slowly closed her door, feeling Sara's tense gaze on her as she did so. Isaac, for his part, had made no move. His smiled widened when she turned back to face him. His red hair shone, even in Ria's currently darkened room. He reclined back on her bed, and she noticed that he had still not changed shirts since their battle the previous evening. It was clear through the cut in the fabric that the wound she had given him had almost healed and looked barely more than a fading scar. Black tattoos nearly covered his pale skin.

"What are you?" Ria asked, speaking quietly.

Isaac's smile faltered for a moment, but only a moment. He followed her eyes to his wound, and gazed back at her with his smile now firmly in place. "Human, child, just like you. Just with some…enhancements."

She shook her head, leaning against the door. Even with the whip coiled tightly inside the purse at her side, she knew that she could not reach it in time. Isaac would move faster and strike her down…leaving her mother defenseless. She glanced at Sara, more aware than ever that only she could see the ghost-like woman. Sara shook her head, her face contorted with worry. She knew that there was no help to be had…just like Ria did. With her face set, Ria turned her attention back to Isaac.

"We're not fighting. Not here. If you want me, we'll take it outside. I won't involve my mother," she said, her voice sounding much steadier than she felt.

Isaac laughed, sitting upright once more. "Dear, are you hard of hearing? I said that I come in peace. I'm offering you my hand, as it were."

At this, he lazily held out a hand, as if to help her up or to lead her off to some hellish domain, Ria really couldn't decide which one suited the situation better. She pressed her back to the door, hating the feel of the rough wood beneath her hands.

"Don't tell him about me!" Sara said quickly.

Ria nodded, making herself look like she was digesting the devil forger's words. She hoped that Sara understood that she really meant that she had acknowledged her comment. Sara sighed, nodding back. With this, both took a step forward. Isaac dropped his hand.

"What do you want?" Ria asked.

She crossed her arms, bending her right knee ever so slightly. She damned the jitters that she still felt within her frame, but she had them fairly under control. She gazed, the most serious look she could muster on her face. A few years ago, she remembered coming upon this television show about a teen vampire slayer, and she recalled this pose whenever the young woman was going to interrogate anyone or was simply standing her ground. Ria desperately hoped that it would work for her.

Isaac laughed at her. Hard. She sighed and dropped the pose.

"Just answer the damn question!" she hissed.

Once he had caught his breath, he stood, towering over her. She backed up so that she would not have to look up at him. Spending quite a bit of time watching television before her father had become ill, she remembered from some nature show that showing your neck in the wild was usually considered a weakness. She was sure this was doubly true for vampires and their lackeys.

"I wish to make an alliance with you. For my part, I will tell you all of Walter's plans and moves and assist you in any way possible," he said, stepping closer to her.

"And for my part?" Ria asked, knowing that she was just asking for trouble.

Isaac had an altogether different smile on his lips as he began to back Ria up against her bedroom door. Remembering a similar situation, Ria firmly planted herself in place.

"No, uh-uh," she said, waving a finger in his face. "I'm not playing this whole let's-make-Ria-feel-awkward game again. No way. Tell me what my part in this alliance is, straight and to the point."

Sara beamed proudly at her. Of course, no one else saw it. But Ria saw it, and it was good enough for her. She had to fight smiling right back, since it would be inappropriate for the moment. Isaac chuckled and backed off a few paces.

"Very well. Your part in this alliance will be to help me restore Dracula to his throne."

Ria pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay, uh…two questions."

Isaac motioned for her to continue.

"One, why can't you do it yourself? And two, why, why, why, why in the wide, wonderful world of all things rational and sane would I help you do that?"

"Well, in answer to your first question, I'm under a blood bond with Walter…purely against my will, you understand."

"And what's a blood bond do?"

"It ensures complete loyalty to the one who issued it. When he resurrected me, he put it upon me before the spell was completed. I must follow all of his orders. So far, he's only given me two specific orders. To find Dracula, and not to assist him in any way."

Ria inhaled deeply, her eyes closed. When she opened them, she did so slowly, as to allow her annoyance to fully shine through.

"Aren't you helping him now? By asking me to help him?"

"No. I'm helping you. My alliance is with you, not him. Should I come face to face with him, I would have to fight him. But, through you, I won't have to. _You'll_ find him, and _you'll_ restore him. _I'll_ have personally done nothing. Sometimes, life is just simpler if you search for the technicalities."

She wasn't sure if that last bit was supposed to be as funny as it sounded. She chose, instead, to progress the subject.

"And the answer to number two?" she asked.

"Because, Walter's plans go much further than what he has already accomplished. Aren't you wondering why he just hasn't gone after Dracula himself?"

Isaac reseated himself at the foot of her bed. Sara, of course unseen by him, moved and took a seat beside him. Looking up at Ria, she gave her a bewildered look.

"That's not a bad question," she murmured.

Ria sighed. She was having a bad night. She groaned and nodded.

"Okay, I'll bite. Why not?"

The devil forger grinned a grin that was a bit too…serpent-like at her words. But he answered without comment.

"Because his hold on the Crimson Stone is not complete. Although Dracula may have stolen Castlevania from Walter years ago—and I'm still debating the truth to that—"

"He did," Sara interrupted for Ria's sake.

"He was still the rightful owner of the Crimson Stone. He has to find a way to bind his power to it before either Dracula or Death can recover the castle. However, Lord Dracula knows when he is outnumbered. I'm sure he's developing a plan as we speak, but we cannot afford the time. And Death is trapped within his own dimension. It'll take his own scythe to free him, which Orlox has. I believe you met Orlox last night?"

Ria grimaced. "Yeah, we're acquainted. Unfortunately."

"Yes, very unfortunate. Walter now knows about you. However, he does not seemed concerned, since he has given me no orders to hunt you," Isaac said, reclining back.

Ria shivered. She glanced back at the door, as if suddenly remembering her mother's presence downstairs. With two quick strides, she had her hands pressed up against the door. In another swift movement, she locked it, putting her back to it.

"Afraid of your dear mother coming in and finding you with a man in your bedroom?" Isaac quipped.

"In a manner of speaking. Not to mention a man insanely older than I am! But back to the point, why would I help Dracula, and why should I care that Walter hasn't decided to take it upon himself to off the MIA vampire?"

Isaac hesitated before he responding, appearing to translate Ria's slang in his head. Finally, with his sly grin still in place, he spoke.

"Because there are two things he could use to ensure his hold on the Crimson Stone. Either the blood of its previous owner or the blood a powerful vampire hunter. Back when he thrived, neither existed. Now, there's Lord Dracula and the Belmont Clan, namely yourself and your mother. And you don't want Walter to have permanent hold on the Stone and to Castlevania."

"Why not?"

"Because Dracula wants to remake the world, which doesn't necessarily mean total destruction like some believe. But Walter…he wants to make the world his plaything. Which would you prefer to face?"

Ria's eyes widened. She looked, discreetly she hoped, to Sara, who looked as alarmed as she did. She paused, weighing her options. It wasn't long before she realized the truth. Really, she had none. It was help Isaac or get creamed. Seeing this in her eyes, he stood and extended his hand for her to shake. Reluctantly, she took it and shook once before releasing it.

"That's a deal then, Ria," he said.

"Adriana. You don't get to call me Ria."

He placed a hand at his chest and took on a look of mock pain. "Ah, dear, you wound me to the quick! Why can I not have the honor to call you by your shortened name? It's…cute."

"Because that's a privilege that extends to friends and loved ones, only. Frankly, you're really neither."

He nodded. Then, very theatrically, he performed a sweeping bow. Turning his face up towards her, he smiled.

"Then, I shall take my leave. I'll visit again tomorrow to discuss the more…intimate details. But first…let me see your…uh…small communicator?"

He straightened as Ria eyed him. "My what?"

He made the motion of putting a phone to his ear. "It's this new technology that you have. I can never remember the name of it…oh, yes, cell phone!"

Still staring at him as if he was the strangest creature she had ever seen, she approached her laptop case and withdrew her flip-phone. He took it from her eagerly, eyeing her strangely now.

"Why was it in there?" he asked, flipping it open.

"I never carry it with me," she replied, shrugging.

"Well, you should do so," he said, typing on the number keys. After a few moments, he closed it and handed it back to her saying, "There. I've given you my…number, is that the term? Contact me at noon, tomorrow, while Walter sleeps."

She stared at her phone as if she had never seen the tiny, silver device. The pink cord and metallic flower that swung from it, her charm, gleamed up at her.

"What era were you from again?" Ria asked incredulously.

"Long, long, long before you were even thought of, child."

"How the hell do you know how to work a cell phone?"

He laughed. "I learn quickly. Now, don't forget. Be seeing you."

With a flash of light, he vanished. Ria sighed, pocketing the phone. A moment of silence passed. Then, Sara stood.

"Um, I hate to bring this up now, but…we should go see Alucard now that the sun has fully set. We'll be sure to catch him at his room, I think," she said.

Suddenly, all the nerves that Ria had been successfully kept locked up during her conversation with Isaac broke free. She found her next words coming out rather rapidly.

"Sure, yeah, let's do that. Two birds with one stone, and all that," she said, picking up her laptop case, shoving the whip from her purse to the case, and throwing the strap over her shoulder. Turning towards her bedroom door, wondering how she was going to get past her mother at this hour, she added, "Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't we just shoot me while we're at it?"

"That's not funny, Adriana!" Sara shouted as Ria unlocked and threw open her bedroom door and began to descend the stairs.

…………………

Both Sara and Ria watched as the elevator ticked off the rising numbers with a sharp _ding_. Ria had made up some half-excuse to get out of the house. She had the feeling that Sophy had not bought it and had simply decided to give in to her daughter's strange actions. She just asked that she be home before it got too late. And to take her cell phone. With great confidence, Ria assured her that she would do both. They had stopped at the front desk of the hotel, each finding that they could not remember the exact room that Alucard was in. Upon description by Ria, the concierge had given up the number.

"Are you sure that's the room number? I don't remember the elevator ride being this long," Sara asked, tearing her eyes from the pressed floor button to look at Ria.

"It's the one that the concierge gave me, saying that Alucard left a message that I was expected and welcome anytime. Besides, it's the top floor. That's where the suites are usually at, and I definitely remember it being a suite," Ria responded as the elevators opened.

The two took to the hallway, quickly finding the room number that the desk had directed them towards. With only a tiny hesitation, Ria lifted her fist and rapped lightly on the door. She jumped when it was answered almost immediately. Alucard smiled down at her, stepping aside and ushering her in.

"What brings you here this evening?" he asked once they were seated—safely, Ria noted—in the sitting room portion of the suite. "Has there been a development?"

Ria glanced quickly and unnoticably once at Sara, who nodded. With a small gulp, she nodded.

"Sort of."

She related the story of Isaac's visit to her room and the information he had shared with her. When she had reached the end, Alucard reclined pensively in his seat.

"So that's his plan…" he murmured.

Ria looked on in silence as the half-blood continued to be lost in his own thoughts. Then, as if suddenly remembering she was there, he looked up and smiled.

"Excellent. We could use an advantage such as this. When will you go to my father's castle?" he asked.

Ria's face paled. "Um…I'm not, that is…Not right away. Just knowing this isn't enough, I think. We need to formulate a plan first, and I think we'll need to know a bit more for that to happen. I'm…meeting with Isaac tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, I'll have more then."

Alucard nodded, pushing himself to his feet. Ria followed suit.

"Yes, that sounds like a good course of action. Please, come see me tomorrow night, after your meeting. And please, keep your alliance with me from him. He may fear my influence upon you."

He led her to the door. She looked at him in confusion.

"But he knows that, even though I've agreed to restore Dracula, inevitably I'll just have to defeat him. Why would he fear that?"

Alucard smiled in a way that Ria couldn't place. "Better safe than sorry, Ria."

With that, he opened the door, escorting her out into the hall. After wishing her luck, he returned to his room and shut the door. She stared at it for a moment before finally starting towards the elevator. Once she and Sara were onboard, she sighed.

"Sometimes…I feel like it's just piled higher and deeper," she muttered.

"And stranger," Sara added.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so some plot here, as well as some quality time with Isaac. A couple of notes here. The second question that Ria asks Isaac—the one with all the whys—is from a Stargate: SG-1 episode—of which I also do not own. It may be paraphrased a bit. Also, a cookie to anyone who can tell me the show that Ria borrowed her pose from—although that's probably really easy. Please review!


	15. Lost and Found

A/N- Okay, so, funny story here. The original title for this chapter would've been the same as the title for my next How to be a Dhampire chapter, chapter twenty-one of that fic. I can't tell you what it was, because I can't give away the title for the next Dhampire chapter…spoilers…but, yeah…So, kudos to Slinky for this chapter title! Also, a tiny warning, if the T rating that this story has is translated into PG-13…which is its equivalent, then you are allowed one use of the F-word. Let it be noted…I'm using my one time in this chapter. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 14- Lost and Found

It never ceased to amaze her, in the whole fifteen years she had been a mother, how much of a mess Ria could make in just a few moments. Sophy sighed and put the last dish away in the cabinet. She swept a stray lock of her blonde hair off her shoulder, back with the rest of her low ponytail. Reaching down into the mucky, sudsy sink, she pulled the plug, the water swirling away with a horrible sucking noise that never failed to make her a little sick. She sighed.

"Ria, you can take your shower now!" she called over her shoulder. "I'm done with the dishes!"

"'Kay, Mom!" she heard her daughter cry back.

A few moments later, Sophy heard the unmistakably noises of movement upstairs and then the sound of running water. She peeled the yellow rubber gloves off her hands and tossed them behind the faucet. Now that Ria was safely in the shower, she could finally tackle the one room she had yet to properly clean…Ria's.

Dust rag, Pine Sol, and laundry basket in hand, Sophy mounted the staircase slowly, as to not to arouse Ria's suspicions. Like any other fifteen year old, Ria loathed the thought of her mother in her room, messing with her things. But if she wasn't going to keep it clean, then somebody had to. Normally, Sophy wouldn't care if Ria knew that she was in her room or not. But since Jared's death, things had been rough between them. She wasn't in the mood to have another useless argument with her only child. Successfully without detection, Sophy made it into Ria's room and instantly began her work.

She had cleaned all the furniture with the Pine Sol—Ria only had a few pieces that really needed it—and had gathered all her dirty clothes into the basket within minutes. She kept her ear open for the shower, making sure that Ria would not take her by surprise. But Sophy knew that Ria loved long showers, so she wasn't too worried about it. In another few minutes, she had every single item picked up and put away.

Sophy had the basket, filled with the rag and Pine Sol lying on top, in hand and was about to exit the room when she saw Ria's laptop case laying on its side, laptop inside. She rolled her eyes, remembering a shouting fest she had recently had with Ria over the fact that she had unplugged the laptop to plug in the vacuum. Ria had made such a big deal over that fact that the stupid computer needed to charge, and here she had it just laying about! Sighing, she set down the basket and lifted the case onto the bed. Carefully, knowing that if she harmed the precious piece of electronics that she would never hear the end of it, Sophy pulled out the laptop. She had her hand on a corded object that was lying on top, and Sophy just assumed that it was the power cord she needed. So it was a great shock to her what came out with the computer instead.

Worn from hundreds and hundreds of years of usage against God-knows-what, Sophy instantly recognized the object that had caused her to ostracize herself from her family. The whip. Her breath caught in her throat, like she was holding a huge spider in her hand instead of a lifeless whip. She dropped it onto the well-made bed where it landed with barely a sound.

Where had Ria gotten this? Sophy hadn't remembered seeing it anywhere inside the house when she had come early to inspect it…to clean it up for _her_ family. She was having trouble thinking clearly. She could still see her mother and father, bent over her younger brother, offering the whip. She remembered the damnable object flying across the room. Rejecting her brother…wanting her…wanting her to ruin her own life for _it_.

Sophy shook from head to toe. This whip had ruined her life…her family. What was it doing to her daughter now? And why, why did _Ria_ even have it?

She considered for a moment yelling, screaming actually, for her daughter, the way she often did when Ria was in trouble. But, she thought after a second's hesitation, maybe Ria didn't know what this whip…The Vampire Killer…meant?

She heard the shower cut off. In perhaps the quickest movements of her life, Sophy shoved the whip and laptop back inside its case. She all but dropped the case back in the spot it had been in, grabbed up the laundry basket, and dashed from the room.

…………………

Ria dripped her way into her room, eyeing the staircase strangely before shutting the bedroom door. She would have sworn that she had heard running on the stairs, but she had seen no one when she emerged from the bathroom moments later. Glancing at the clock, she noted that it was almost noon…thirty minutes to go. She flung the fluffy green towel from her body, dried herself—pulling her hair back in a sloppy bun—and pulled on a pair of jeans, a shirt, and her shoes…allowing for underthings, of course. She was dressed and had her laptop case on her shoulder, whip inside, in five minutes…a new record.

"Make-up!" she squeaked, setting the case back on the bed moments before heading out.

Sara suddenly appeared behind her. She always made herself scarce when Ria was doing something personal like showering or getting dressed. Now, she had her arms crossed and her lips were downturned.

"You're not going on a date, Ria. And you're almost late as it is! We don't live _that _close to the town! We've got to go!" she said as Ria smeared some two-in-one base on her face and neck.

"Just a second more…done!" she said, applying lipstick—a neutral, peach tone.

Sara shook her head. "I just can't fathom you sometimes…do you honestly care what Isaac thinks of your appearance?"

Ria grabbed up her laptop case once more. "No, but sometimes you need to show that you're put together and ready to go. That's all I'm doing…I'm showing that I've got it together.

"Oh, yes," Sara said sarcastically, "I'm sure Isaac will identify you immediately as the best choice for defeating Walter because you so artfully chose the proper lip-color for your outfit today!"

Ria stuck her tongue out at the specter-woman right as her cell phone toned, informing her that she had a text message. She pulled the flip phone out of one of the pockets of the laptop case and opened it.

"Who could possibly be texting me?" she muttered as she accessed the message.

It was Isaac, announcing that they should meet at the local café. Ria groaned, shoving the phone back inside the case.

"Great…just great. Hundreds of hundreds of years old, and he can text message! You know, Sara, I think this frightens me more than Walter, a little bit," she said, opening the door to her room and beginning to descend the stairs.

"Me too, Ria. Me too," Sara replied.

Ria fought laughing out loud as she hit the first floor, making her way to the manor's door. She was stopped before she could make it all the way out.

"Ria," Sophy said, quite suddenly.

Ria turned and blinked at her mother. It sounded like she was mad at her, but to Ria's recollection, she had done nothing wrong.

"Yeah?"

"Ria, wh-…where are you going?" Sophy said, sighing like she was disappointed in herself.

"Oh. The café. I should be back before dark…" she said. Then, thinking of her next meeting with Alucard, she added, "Oh! But…they have this, uh, band playing later tonight…I thought I might go back to see that."

"Why can't you just wait and go to the café when the band plays?" Sophy prodded.

Something was off…but Ria couldn't put her finger on it. She stared at her mother, as if she could read it in her eyes. Finding nothing, she finally put a playful smile on her face.

"Oh, well, now's for coffee, Mom…Tonight's for music. See you!"

She was out the door before Sophy had had a chance to stop her again. Once on the road heading into town, Sara turned to her.

"That was strange, Ria. Are you sure that everything is all right with your mother?" she asked.

Ria's eyes were narrowed. "I don't know. I'll agree that that was weird beyond compare…but I can't think of any reason why Mom would be acting like that. I'll worry about it when I get back tonight."

Sara nodded, and the two fell silent as they entered into the town's limits. Isaac was seated in the outdoor portion of the café, under its large, blue awning. Ria sat down across from him, Sara invisibly siding into the unused third chair. He was wearing his typical black outfit, only with the shirt replaced and the addition of a pair of dark sunglasses. Ria mentally noted to never wear the sunglass within her purse at home—the very same design as the pair Isaac wore—ever again.

"So why exactly am I here?" she asked after both she and Isaac each ordered an Ice Mint Mocha Frappe.

"Well, relationships take work, _Adriana_," he said, grinning with emphasis he put on her whole name.

"We're in an alliance, not a relationship," she said, crossing her arms.

"Tomato, tomahto," he said, waving his hand.

"No, no. I'm saying tomato, and you damn well better be saying tomato too!"

He laughed. Shaking his head, he sighed.

"Well, we should get down to business, shouldn't we?"

Ria nodded, biting the inside of lip to keep from growling.

"Walter has been working with Orlox towards the end of securing his hold on the Crimson Stone."

"Uh, yeah…you told me as much last night."

Isaac groaned as the waitress set their drinks down in front of them. When the girl was gone, he huffed once more for good measure.

"What I mean is that they are taking more active steps towards doing so. Walter has ordered me to obtain a sample of Dracula's blood, should I ever find him, before I kill him. They are preparing the spell tonight, so that they can perform it as soon as possible."

Ria leaned forward, her stomach twisting horribly as she recalled what he had told her the previous night.

"But…didn't you say that Mom and I could also be used for this spell?" she asked.

"I did."

Her stomach did an odd flop, twist move. She noticed that breathing was suddenly becoming harder. Her hand gripped the wrought iron of the table, trying to steady herself. Isaac now leaned forward, a mixed look of genuine concern and general mockery on his face.

"What's the matter, Adriana? Worried that the big, bad monster will come for you soon?" he said.

He had a look of disgust on his face when she looked back up at him. Sara was glaring at him now, practically seething. Was he implying that she couldn't cut it as a vampire hunter?

She kicked him underneath the table. Hard, causing him to jump. He bent and rubbed his shin, glaring at her.

"I don't give a damn what happens to me…I'm worried about my Mom. I want to keep her out of this!" she hissed.

He gritted his teeth at her. "My…apologies. I didn't mean…"

"I know exactly what you meant! Now, you want me and my abilities to restore your precious Dracula to his throne…if that's the case, then you better start playing nice with me."

Now, he smiled at her. "Very well. I won't imply anything such as that again."

"Fine," she snapped. "Now, what can I do about this? He has to be stopped…but…"

"You're not ready. All I can offer is that I continue putting as little effort as possible into my search for Lord Dracula. But Walter won't continue with his current…patience for long. The longer he waits, the more time he's giving Dracula to plan a counterattack. That's what he thinks, and he's probably not wrong. You have to hurry and prepare, Adriana…if you're not ready when the time comes…then there's no hope. And I sincerely mean that."

Ria sat with her eyes wide at this. Her mouth moved like a fish who was out of water might. Finally, she nodded, standing. She reached into her pocket and placed the proper of money on the table for her coffee, grabbing up the half-drunk cup.

"I'll get the tip," he said. "You go and get ready. The fight's coming."

She nodded as she began to walk away, vaguely aware that Sara was following her. She had not gone far when he suddenly reached out, catching her arm.

"What?" she said, the word snapping out of her mouth in shock.

"I…have a question. Something I've wanted to ask you," he said, quickly letting go of her.

"Okay."

"When we first fought…the…spark between us. Do you know what that was? I scoured spellbook after spellbook and found no explanation. What was it, Adriana?"

He looked quite harried over the subject. Ria, for her part, had moved it to the back of her thoughts, unable to completely rid herself of it. She shook her head.

"Honestly? I have no clue. I thought you might."

He sighed, looking away. She stood there for a moment, staring at him. Finally, after neither had spoken, she muttered, "I'm sorry."

She had no idea what she was apologizing for. Isaac turned, his own eyes wide now. Ria sighed and shook her head, turning and walking away. The walk back to Belmont Manor was was quiet. Ria knew that Sara probably wanted to ask what that last bit had been about…but knew better than to try the subject. And Ria appreciated this more than she could ever explain.

She spent hours after arriving back at home up in her room, listening to music, looking over some of the things about the school she would be attending in the coming fall that Sophy had left for her. Ria smirked, thinking that if she found it cold now, she did not want to know how cold it was going to be later in the year. Finally, the sun set, and Ria loaded herself back up to go meet with Alucard.

This time, Sophy was blocking the front door of the manor. Ria eyed her mother, noticing that Sara was giving the woman a similar look. She stopped a foot or so from her mother's…fuming form.

"What is it, Mom?" Ria asked a little warily.

"This is your last chance, Adriana. Tell me where you're going, really. No lies," she said.

Ria blinked several times. Where had this come from? Finally, she placed an innocent smile on her face.

"The café again, Mom. I told you. The band, remember?" she said, laughing a bit.

"Oh? Really?" Sophy said, stepping forward.

With a cry of protest from Ria, Sophy snatched her laptop case from her.

"What are you doing?" Ria yelled.

Sophy's hand dove inside the case and withdrew the whip. Sara gasped, pressing her pale, translucent hands to her lips. Ria could only stare.

"Why would you need _this_—" she shook the whip at her daughter, "when going to see a band, Adriana?"

"Mom…I can explain…" Ria began, putting up her hands in a defensive gesture.

"You don't have to! Where did you even get this thing? I thought my wretched parents had given it away!"

Her mother looked like a madwoman, having set the laptop case aside and now shaking the Vampire Killer furiously at her daughter. Ria shook her head, unable to come up with a suitable reply.

"Please," Sophy said, her tone suddenly one of pleading, "please, please, Ria…please tell me you aren't doing this…that you aren't…_hunting_!"

Now Ria's eyes flared. She could feel the anger coursing in her veins as she stepped forward and snatched the whip from her mother's hands.

"You _knew_? You knew about all of this? Dracula…our family…us! You…How could you keep this from me? My whole life…I've felt like a freak, and now I know that this weird knowledge of feeling different actually has a _purpose_, and you fucking knew!"

"Ria," Sophy sighed, "language!"

"I don't give a damn about my language, Mom! You've kept this from me? Why?"

"Because it would have…is ruining your life!" Sophy suddenly screeched at her. "My parents tried to give me that stupid thing, but I didn't want it. I wanted to be _normal_, Ria. This isn't normal!"

"What's so wrong about this? You know, helping people? Destroying ultimate evils? Huh? What's so wrong with it?"

"Because it could cost you your life!" Sophy threw her arms into the air, seeming to grasp for more ways for her daughter to understand what she meant. "I thought that my mother and father had given this to him…This isn't your job, Ria. This is my brother and his children's job, not ours."

Ria's eyes widened.

"_Brother_? When were you going to mention that I had an uncle, huh? Any other family secrets while we're at it?"

Sophy and Ria both were breathing heavily now. And Sara looked downright terrified. Finally, Sophy looked at Ria, tears welling up.

"_Please_…don't go. Don't go and throw away your life tonight, Ria."

Ria shoved past her mother, pausing at the door.

"What life, Mom? My real one, or the one you've made me live?"

And she took off down the pathway from her house, ignoring Sophy as she called her name over and over again.

…………………

Ria arrived outside Alucard's suite a little while later, still seething. She raised a fist and pounded on the polished white door hard, several times.

"Calm down, Ria. He's going to think that something has happened," Sara pleaded softly with her.

But anger was clouding her vision. And when the door opened, Ria shoved her way inside.

"Won't you please come in?" Alucard murmured as he shut the door behind her. He turned, eyeing Ria as she paced back and forth within the same few steps of carpet.

"Is something wrong? Has something happened?" he asked, sitting down a little ways in front of her.

Sara opened her mouth, probably about to mutter an "I told you so," but then thought better of it.

"Oh…oh, nothing. Everything, really, but nothing you'll care about! Only that my mother has been lying to me my whole damn life! Did you know—" she stopped her pacing and now faced Alucard, a finger held up in the air, "that she knew all about our family history and didn't tell me? No, of course you didn't know! And neither did I! And she...argh!"

Alucard sat back in the chair, seemingly content to watch Ria resume her pacing back and forth, coming nearer and farther to him. Finally, it seemed that something clicked inside the teen's head, and she stopped, sighing and pressing a hand to her forehead.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just…need a minute…"

"That's quite all right…please…sit," Alucard said, gesturing to the seat nearest him.

She slumped into it. After a few moments of staring, rather intently, at the carpet, she looked up.

"I met with Isaac," she said.

She suddenly felt very tired. Anger took a lot of energy out of a person. She leaned back against the chair, noting how heavy her limbs now felt, and fought against letting her eyes close.

"Ah, and how did that go? Did we learn anything useful?"

Ria nodded. "Yeah. Walter's preparing a spell to secure his hold on the Crimson Stone. He'll need either Dracula's blood or…"

And Ria paused. _Or mine or Mom's_, she finished mentally.

"Or?" Alucard prodded, looking keenly interested.

"A Belmont's," Ria said, standing. "I've got to go home…I'll come back tomorrow night!"

She didn't wait for an answer, dashing out of the room. She shouldn't have left her Mom like that, she thought as she raced down the road towards her home. She should have told her what was going on…let her know that she should protect herself. But she had been so _angry_...

She charged up the pathway to her house, pausing right at the front doorstep. The doors were wide open, and Ria could already see the destruction inside.

"Mom!" she yelled, running into the house.

It was a mess. Furniture was overturned, vases were smashed…and Sophy was nowhere to be found.

"Moooommmmm!" she screamed into the house, only her own echo answering her.

Sara stood beside her, her eyes darting back and forth over the destruction, muttering over and over, "Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no."

Ria paused, distraught, in the middle of the manor. Her mother was gone, taken. And there was only one person...one monster...that could have done so. Walter had taken her, to Castlevania.

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End Notes: Dun, dun, dun! I hope everyone liked this chapter! See you next one!


	16. No Other Choice

A/N- Thanks for the reviews! Oh, I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I have a poll on my profile. Check it out and vote if you please!

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Chapter 15- No Other Choice

"Adriana."

Ria whirled to find Isaac standing in the doorway, his spear drawn. She withdrew her whip from the laptop case she had just barely taken when she had stormed out earlier and struck at him, growling as she did so and dropping the laptop to the floor. He held his spear out to catch the whip and used the opportunity to pull Ria to him. He held her firmly by her shoulders.

"Let me go! You did this! You led him to her! Now, she's…!" she yelled.

"Get a hold of yourself, Ria! Your mother is not dead yet, but if you don't move now, she might be. I didn't lead Walter here!"

Ria was still screaming things at him. Finally, Sara stepped forward.

"Adriana Smith, snap out of it! Your mother needs you!" she yelled.

Ria stopped, her breathing harsh as she leaned heavily on Isaac. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

"I'm sorry. You're right," she muttered, stepping back from him.

"Ria, you're not ready, but we've got no more time," Isaac said. "Gather whatever you need…and go to Castlevania."

Ria nodded, finding herself still a bit unsteady. Finally, she planted herself firmly, trying to tell herself to get a grip. "Okay. I'll be ready in just a bit."

"I can't go with you. But I can meet you at various times inside the castle. There are safe rooms within there from when Lord Dracula was married to Lady Lisa. You can rest in them when you need to, but do so as little as possible. I will try to keep your mother alive as long as I possibly can…but it won't be able to last forever. You must hurry."

He turned, about to leave, when Ria caught his arm. He looked back at her, confused.

"Please…keep an eye on Mom…" Ria said, trying her best not to dig her fingers into his arm through the silky fabric of his shirt.

"Isn't that what I just said I would do?" he said.

"But now I'm asking…please."

Isaac blinked at this. Finally, he nodded, and Ria let go. He disappeared in a flash. Ria turned to Sara.

"We've got to hurry, Ria!" she said, pointing sharply to Ria's room.

Ria nodded, darting up the stairs. She threw open the door to her bedroom and immediately went to her closet. She dug inside, throwing the things she didn't need to the left and the few items she did need to her bed. Once she had finished, the bed held a pair of comfortable hiking boots, a different shirt that was a bit sturdier than the one she had one, the whip which she had been clutching through the whole ordeal with Isaac, her cell phone, a small first aid kit, the Belmont Journals, and a large-ish—but not too large—backpack purse. She dashed to the bed, changing her shirt and shoes in faster time than she ever had before. Then, she packed the Journals, the cell phone—thankfully fully charged, and the small first aid kit. Sara blinked at her.

"What's all that for? All the other Belmonts' only ever took the whip," Sara said, crossing her arms.

Ria shook her head. "Well, I'm very unprepared. I'm taking everything I think I'll need."

At this, she went to her jewelry box and withdrew a small, silver cross on a chain, fastening it about her neck. She paused for a moment after letting her hands drop. Sara narrowed her eyes at her.

"What is it, Ria?" she asked.

"I yelled at her, Sara. I yelled at mom right before they took her…I…I have to get her back," Ria murmured back.

Sara nodded. "We will, Ria. I know we will. Let's get your things, then."

Ria nodded, snatching up the backpack purse and whip. She slung the backpack over her shoulders, still keeping the whip in hand.

"Let's stop by the gallery on the way out," Sara said.

"Okay, I need to stop by the kitchen and get something, actually. Why to the Gallery?" Ria asked, running down the stairs.

She ran into the kitchen first, locating a thermos inside one of the hanging cabinets. She filled it with the reasonably fresh and warm coffee from the pot. Sara scoffed.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked.

Ria took her backpack off and slipped the thermos inside after ensuring that it would not spill. She then replaced the backpack purse to her back.

"I'll need the energy!" she snapped, starting to the Gallery door.

Sara sighed again. "Just kick the door in."

"What?"

"It's old and wooden, Ria! Just kick really hard; we don't have time for you to picklock it!"

Ria nodded, realizing the truth in this, and did as she was told. The door came swinging violently opened in just three kicks. She stopped just inside the room, blinking.

"Why…?" she asked again.

"The mantle, where the whip was. Remove the plaque where the whip was hanging. There's a hidden, small opening behind it. Inside are some weapons. You might need some of them," Sara explained pointing to the red velvet-covered plaque with the now empty trio of silver hooks.

Ria moved to the dead fireplace the display plaque hung over and removed it, seeing a seam in the form of a thin, small rectangle. She pulled at the fading, crimson wallpaper, finding it to be hollow beyond. She groaned at the semi-dark space. She reached inside, fearing spiders and any other gross creatures, and felt something leathery. She pulled, withdrawing a belt equipped with an attached, sheathed dagger. She knew that there were more weapons inside, she could just barely make out their shapes, but she knew all she would probably be comfortable with was the dagger. She buckled the belt about her waist, noticing that it also had a place for her whip. The belt itself fit nearly perfectly, only a little lopsided, but it was in no danger of falling. She turned to Sara, a question in her eyes. Sara smiled.

"It was Sonia's. It might be useful."

Ria nodded, feeling a little bit more at ease than she knew she should. This piece of history…a piece of one of the Belmonts before her that had fought Dracula and lived to tell the tale. She felt strong, bold. She nodded towards the door as she put the whip on the belt.

"Let's get going," she said, exiting the Gallery.

She made it all the way to the front door of the manor, dreading the steps that led her closer to Castlevania, but was stopped as she saw a figure approaching from outside. She paused, reaching for her whip. However, as soon as the drawn back, white-blond hair was visible, she sighed.

"Alucard…what are you doing here?" she asked.

"You ran off in such a hurry. I feared there might be something amiss," he said.

He looked about the manor from his place just outside the threshold, noting the destruction. His eyes found Ria's again.

"What happened?"

"Walter took my mother, Alucard. I'm…I'm not prepared, but I have to go to Castlevania. I've got to save her. I've got no other choice," she explained.

His eyes looked as if he was in a far off place, dreaming of neutral, unfathomable things. Ria, meanwhile, stared at his feet just behind the house's threshold. She wondered why he had not entered the home yet. She shook her head after a second, thinking that that was not what was important for the moment. Maybe it was just that half-bloods were bound by some of the same rules as their vampire kin?

"Alucard?" she said after a little bit. "I don't really have a lot of time…"

"No, you don't. I'm coming with you. Do you have the necklace I gave you?"

She blinked at him, not fully processing his words.

"You're coming with me?"

He nodded. "Yes. I had always intended to accompany you when the time came. The crest on the necklace, Adriana. Do you have it?"

She felt a sudden relief course through her. She had read about Alucard's exploits in Castlevania. An experienced fighter would be with her…she could do this…

"Ria!" Alucard and Sara said simultaneously.

Ria jolted back to the present. "The necklace! Yeah, be right back!"

She dashed back upstairs to her room, rummaging through her three jewelry boxes. Finally, in her antique oak box, she found it. She snatched it, slipping it over her head to hang over her silver cross. She arrived back downstairs.

"Ready," she said.

Alucard stepped aside and gestured for her to lead the way. She moved outside, shutting the manor door behind her. The three of them headed towards Eternal Night—Alucard, of course, only knowing of himself and Ria.

Night had somehow become darker. Every noise—owls, bugs, anything—made Ria tense. Even Alucard looked fairly anxious. The paved road and sidewalks gave way somewhere past the graveyard where Ria had fought and defeated her first real fight. It wasn't long before the forest loomed over them. They stopped just at the barrier.

Alucard made a motion like inhaling, but Ria did not hear any air rush in. His eyes were closed, like he was trying to rely only on his sight or smell or something. Finally, his eyes opened.

"He's finally cast the spell…" he muttered.

"What spell?" Ria asked.

He turned to her. "The spell that the forest takes its name from. This is the point of no return, Ria. Once you past through this barrier of trees, you cannot return until you have killed Walter. And it will night within this forest and surrounding Castlevania, never daylight. Are you ready?"

"Really? No. But he's got my Mom. No way am I turning back," she said, taking her first step into the forest.

An odd feeling passed over her…like she had just walked through a barrier of Jell-O. She turned and gasped. She could not see beyond the trees. She had stepped past only three or four closely planted trees…but it looked like nothing but thick, dark forest all around her! Soon, Alucard appeared at her side.

"What's with this? Is it fake?" Ria asked, motioning to the forest behind her that shouldn't be.

"No," Alucard said. "Castlevania invites victims. The spell transports anybody who enters the forest halfway to it. Come, we must move on."

Ria looked to Sara as Alucard passed in front of her. Sara's eyes were wide, terrified, and, even for a specter, she moved stiffly. Each step she took appeared to shake, and she had her arms clasped very tightly around herself. Ria let Alucard get a little ways ahead of her. Then, she turned to her whip-bound friend.

"Are you okay?" she whispered as low as she could get.

"What?" Alucard asked without turning.

"Nothing," Ria answered in a voice too chipper for her surroundings.

"It's…been years…but it's still not easy. I'm dead, and this damn place still terrifies me," Sara said.

Ria had to fight either gasping or laughing; she wasn't sure which one. She had never heard Sara, whose voice for all his modern vocabulary was still rather dainty, swear. She reached out, placing an arm around her shoulders, surprised to find that she felt as solid to her as any living person might. Sara smiled at her, a small one, and nodded. The ghost let her arms drop to her side and tried to relax her walk. She succeeded…until they came to the miniature cliff that separated them from Castlevania.

The castle was big, gray, stone, and looked every bit as menacing as Ria thought it would. She could see black figures circling the top of a tower, and she prayed that they were only bats. She turned to Alucard, taking off the necklace with the crest and holding it.

"So…how does this work?" she asked.

"Hold it up, invoke the name of Tepes, and order the drawbridge open," Alucard said.

Ria nodded, stepping forward. She held the necklace by its crested pendant. She swallowed down the urge to yell, "By the power of Greyskull," and cleared her throat.

"Uh…" and she mentally scolded herself for this moment of tripping over her words, "By the…_name_ of Tepes, I command the drawbridge open!"

She fought a laugh as she realized that she remembered an episode where He-Man had said something similar. But it worked. With loud creaks and groans, the drawbridge hurtled to earth, throwing dirt skyward.

"After you," Alucard smiled.

Ria swallowed again, harder, and put a tentative foot onto the drawbridge. She stopped, looking back at her companions. Sara smiled and took a position directly on Ria's right. Alucard stepped up on Ria's left. Shoulder to Shoulder, they entered Castlevania.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, all the things that Ria took with her will be explained in their own time…although most of them are probably self-explanatory. Another note, about something I've stated in two previous chapters…and no one has mentioned this, it has just been personally bothering me…I mentioned in chapter one that the air was chilly to Ria. I also mentioned in the chapter past that Ria feared how cold she would find it in the fall…Folks, I've never been to Transylvania. I'll also admit that I have not taken the time to look up the general weather for the area. But, it's mountainous, so I figure it's colder than where I image the region of the United States that Ria's from is. Being that I live in northern Alabama, I imaged that Ria was from a hotter summer climate than Transylvania. Also, there are a couple of things I'll be incorporating into this story's sequel (yes, if you haven't read my profile, this one is going to have a sequel) that will be based on an Americanized system…I know it'll be totally inaccurate…but I beg your forgiveness…since the only time I lived in a foreign country, it was in an army provided housing, base, and schooling. Okay, so, sorry about this long thing. Just wanted to clarify that. Please review.

Fun Fact: From the point they left for Castlevania (actually stepped out the door) until the end of this chapter, the song playing on my media player was "The Night Calls My Name" from one of the Forever Knight soundtracks. Haha. Very appropriate.


	17. Charges

A/N- Thanks for the reviews! Okay, to mention something DezoPenguin—thanks again!—pointed out…yeah…so there was a plot hole that occurred when Sophy picked up the whip. I'm sorry that that happened, but I had an idea spawn from it—nothing major, but notable. However, the idea won't be addressed until much later…so, an explanation's coming. Sorry about that; I pulled a Flint.

* * *

Chapter 16- Charges

Isaac had returned from Adriana's home to Castlevania a tad perplexed and very worrisome. Of Ria being a necessity to take down Walter, he had no doubt. However, this new development—the taking of Sophy Smith—had moved Ria forward too quickly. The girl could barely hold her own against him, a human—for all intents and purposes—devil forgemaster. Walter would break her like a dried twig. But Ria was in Castlevania now, the creatures of the castle's stirrings confirmed this. They could smell the Belmont in her, and they thirsted for her blood.

Isaac arrived in the castle's throne room, finding its only occupant being the wizard vampire, Orlox. His skull-like countenance grinned at Isaac, who groaned. Isaac had come seeking Walter and, in turn, Sophy. Ria's mother's survival was key to keeping the young girl going, he was certain. But his willing pledge to watch over this woman confused him. She meant nothing to him, who was only using her daughter to restore his master to his rightful place. And, by rights, Ria would come to Walter still if Sophy died. The woman was a mere blip in the plan…but then, why was he going to go through with keeping her alive? Surely it was to keep Walter from consolidating his power…surely.

"Isaac," Orlox said, stepping down from his place by the room's throne.

The way he had snapped his name made Isaac sound like a mere, mindless zombie. His face contorted with anger, snarling. This seemed to only amuse Orlox as he approached the devil forgemaster.

"Walter has summoned us to the coliseum. We should hasten. The time has come for Walter to finally solidify his hold on the Crimson Stone," Orlox said, stopping just before him.

Isaac fought hard to keep his face neutral. Walter intended to sacrifice Sophy immediately? This would ruin everything, and Ria would certainly fail. Isaac nodded once.

"Very well," he said evenly.

Two flashes of light, and both Orlox and Isaac reappeared in the vast battle room of Castlevania's coliseum. Walter stood at the far left from the new arrivals, looking up at a large cage shaped not unlike that which a bird would be housed. From the distance Isaac was at, he could see Sophy, playing the role of the bird squawking for freedom. Her hair—the same color as her daughter's—was coming loose from the short braid that extended to mid-shoulder blade. Her slender hands gripped the cage's bars and shook at them with all her might, and her body trembled with the fear and anger that pervaded her voice as she screamed at Walter.

"Monster! Let me go! Let me go!" she shrieked over and over as Isaac and Orlox approached.

Walter turned as his two servants bowed on one knee to him. He smiled, in a rarely seen jovial mood, and motioned for them to rise. Isaac's eyes were on Sophy, who was quite literally screaming herself red. Walter laughed and smacked the bottom edge of the cage, shaking it and throwing Sophy off her feet. He turned his attention on Orlox.

"Are you prepared to perform the spell? I'll waste no more time," Walter said, turning a very deliberate eye to Isaac before continuing. "Since Dracula could not be obtained, I followed your suggestion to steal the Belmont girl's mother. She's quite a lively prisoner…Oh, I haven't played this game in ages!"

He laughed, and Orlox's grin was grotesque as he joined in on the dark merriment. Sophy had fallen silent and had crawled to the edge of the cage, looking down at them. Her eyes were wide and watery, her form still shaking. Once the laugher had subsided, Orlox closed his eyes, his mouth moving quickly in words that Isaac recognized as some sort of summoning spell. A bright red light flashed just off to the right of Sophy's prison. When it cleared, a stone table, with dark ruins carved upon it, stood in the spot. Its top was laden with a pestle and mortar and herbs of all kinds. A ceremonious dagger was also amongst the items. Sophy gasped. She knew that her life's blood was meant for this dagger. She began her screaming again.

"Silence!" Walter roared at her.

She fell silent in such a way that it seemed against her will. To Isaac's experience, it probably was. Orlox grinned like a dog having its belly rubbed.

"Shall I begin?" he asked, moving towards the table already.

"Master!" Isaac exclaimed before Walter could reply.

He dropped again to one knee, lowering his head. When he lifted it again, he saw that Walter gazed impatiently at him, while Orlox looked dubious.

"If I may but make a humble suggestion, my lord," Isaac said, remaining bowed before him.

Walter gestured for him to continue. Orlox's eyes were livid. Isaac fought a grin.

"Oh, noble Walter, would it not serve you better to double your hold on the Stone?" he asked.

Walter raised a brow.

"What? How?"

"As we speak, my master, this woman's daughter, also of Belmont descend as you know, enters and traverses this castle to rescue her."

Walter growled. "I am aware, Isaac, and my patience is wearing. Arrive at your point soon."

"If you were to use not only this woman, but the girl Adriana's blood also…my former Lord Dracula could never hope to defeat you!"

There was a heavy silence that followed. Sophy's eyes were wide, anger and fear again the dominant emotions. Orlox was looking incredulously between the two crimson-haired men. Finally, Walter turned to the skeletal-like vampire, who bowed quickly at the waist, bobbing back up just as fast.

"Is this possible, Orlox? Would using the blood of both Belmont descendants double my hold on the Crimson Stone?" Walter asked.

Orlox spluttered, tripping over his words.

"Why, yes, but, Master, my lord, I beg of you, the time—!" he managed to spit out before Walter held a hand up to stop him.

"Then it is decided," he said, with Orlox looking like a stake had been driven through his dead heart. "We will wait for this…Adriana. Then, once we have her, we will perform this spell. Isaac!"

He whirled on Isaac, who stood once more. He smiled a serpent's grin at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So helpful…what became of your fierce loyalty to Dracula?"

"I fear your anger, my lord, and I know that your great self would have discovered such a thing as what I proposed. I wished to avoid punishment," Isaac said, hating the words even as they left his mouth.

Walter's laugh boomed around the coliseum. "Very well," he said. "Very well. Isaac, as I'm sure you are aware, the creatures of this castle long for Belmont blood. They will feast on this woman's blood if left unprotected."

Sophy whimpered.

"You will watch over her and keep her alive until I have need of her. That is an order," Walter said, gesturing to Orlox.

This plan had worked even more perfectly than Isaac had expected. He bowed as both Walter and Orlox vanished from sight. Of course, Orlox had not departed without first hissing at Isaac. As soon as they were gone, Isaac turned to Sophy, who immediately began to rage at him.

"Bastard! How dare you offer my daughter like a sheep to be slaughtered! Rot in hell! If I get out of here, I'll—" she screamed, but Isaac sighed and interrupted her.

"You'll do nothing, Sophy. I am allied with your daughter and committed to seeing her through to destroying that usurper. I am guarding you under her orders as well," he said lazily.

This shocked her into silence. She gripped the bars of the cage so tightly that her knuckles turned a bright white. Her lips were pressed thin against each other, and the tears in her eyes threatened to spill over.

"Ria's really here?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Isaac nodded. Her mouth contorted as if it could not decide upon the proper expression. She settled it by keeping it shaped by worry.

"She'll be killed!" she said.

"I intend to see that that doesn't happen."

"But…she's just a child!"

Isaac couldn't argue with that. And he had no other truths or promises to comfort her with. Finally, Sophy stood, looking resolutely down at him.

"Isaac is your name?" she asked.

He blinked at her, confused.

"Yes."

"Okay. Isaac, I know that you owe me no favors, but…I need you to keep my Adriana safe. I don't care what happens to me. Let that monster kill me, I don't care. But whatever happens, keep her alive…make sure she lives to see the rest of her life."

Shock rooted Isaac to his place. Sophy stared down at him, her eyes filled with a fierce protectiveness and concern. He had seen that look before…when Ria had begged him to maintain her mother's safety. And now, here was the mother asking of him the same thing of the daughter. _Keep her safe_…Both voice's sang in his mind.

He smirked, not really feeling it, but unable to think of another reaction.

"You and your daughter are more alike than I would wager that you know. Apparently, neither of you ever realize what I say, seeing as I just said I was going to do the same exact thing you ask of me," he said.

"But now I'm—"

Isaac cut her off again. "Asking? I've heard that before. There's no need. I have every intention to seeing that Ria lives through defeating Walter."

Through defeating Walter…because he had no other obligation to her than that. But…why did those words sound strange coming out of his mouth? Sophy smiled at him…another feature the two Belmont women shared.

"Thank you," she said.

And Isaac was speechless.

…………………

Ria was on a rock, and she was wondering why the hell a giant rock was protruding towards the ceiling inside a huge castle…in the middle of one of its halls, no less. Knowing that her question about the rock wasn't important, she kept it silent. Instead, she had her cell phone out, open, and held it up to the ceiling. A castle filled with dead things…of course there would be no cell reception. She snapped the phone shut, shoving it into her backpack as Alucard whirled to her.

"What do you think that you are doing, Ria?" he hissed. "We've no time for games!"

Sara's eyes flashed at this. Five minutes into Castlevania, and Sara had already glared at Alucard twice…each time he had scolded Ria for something she had done or said. Apparently, Sara did not like the idea of someone else reprimanding her student. But Ria was taking it all in stride. After all, they were all pretty tense. Who wouldn't be inside a demon and monster infested castle?

"If you must know, I was trying to see if I would be able to communicate with Isaac instead of waiting for him to contact us. You know…in case we needed something from him," she said, walking deliberately past him.

She stopped just a few inches in front of him, looking back. His mouth opened to protest but found no argument there. Ria fought a strong urge to stick her tongue out at the cranky dhampire. He huffed and moved past her once more. Ria smiled at Sara who had come once again to stand beside her.

They had fought very little thus far within the castle…but they had, after all, only gotten a few rooms in. The few things they had encountered—something called a Warg and some zombies—they had been able to dispatch easily. Even though she had avoided injury or mishap so far…this did nothing to comfort Ria.

"Alucard?" she asked suddenly as they were about to enter into another hall.

She stopped, hoping that it would encourage him to stop as well. It did. He turned to her, a bit annoyed.

"Yes?"

"What if…what if I really can't do this?" she asked. "What if I just _can't_ make it to Walter? What if Mom dies? What if I'm not good enough?"

His face softened a bit, smiling almost kindly at her.

"Those are a lot of lofty questions, Ria. Ones that no one could possibly have the answers to," he said gently.

Ria felt her heart sink. She gulped, trying to swallow the lump in her throat she called "fear." But Alucard chuckled softly.

"I'll promise you this. I'll get you to Walter. On my…life. We'll save your mother, and you will defeat Walter. I give you my word," he said, drawing a sword he had acquired from Ria-didn't-know-where.

Ria smiled at this, feeling Sara's hand coming to rest on her shoulder. With a nod, she unfurled her whip in her hand.

"Let's go," she said as the three of them charged headlong into the next room.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so how was that? Just a little interlude before all the crap hits the fan, so to speak. Now, if anyone's interested, I finally have an official chapter count on this fic. This fic will have twenty-five chapters, plus an epilogue. So, here was chapter sixteen of twenty-…six, counting the epilogue. I hope you enjoyed!


	18. Rest sans Relaxation

A/N- Okay, so I don't remember if I've mentioned this, but I'll most likely be using the map of Castlevania from Symphony of the Night, loosely. I'll be embellishing a bit on certain creatures and the like, but the map will basically be the same. This is because, for all the CV games I've played, Symphony is the one that I'm most familiar with (i.e. played the most number of times).

* * *

Chapter 17- Rest sans Relaxation

Ria cried out as her whip caught the blood red skeleton, crumbling it to nothing but a pile of bones. She wiped her brow quickly, to avoid the sweat beading there from dripping into her eyes. Her companions and she had made very little progress still, but the monsters they had had to fight so far were unreal. It was like they never stopped coming.

Ria gasped just as the pile of bones reanimated themselves into a skeleton again. They really never stopped! She lashed out with the Vampire Killer again, crumbling the bones, again. She felt Alucard's hands on her shoulders.

"Move quickly, Ria. A Blood Skeleton just keeps reanimating, no matter how many times you try to kill it," he said, gently moving her aside as he advanced.

Ria lost no time in following behind him. Her breath was coming in deep huffs, and she just couldn't stop sweating, despite the cold temperature of the castle. She was tired, her body ached, and she was worrying constantly about her mother's and her own safety. And she knew that this was still nothing compared to what she had left to fight. If this was taking its toll, then she was already dead when it came to Walter.

This feeling must have shown on her face as Alucard helped Ria up over some platform they were climbing. His eyes narrowed down at her. Sara appeared behind him, mirroring the look. She shook her head.

"Nothing," she answered to their unasked question.

Alucard nodded once. "We should rest."

"No! We have to keep going! My mother—"

"Will not benefit from a dead daughter," Alucard finished for her. "There's a safe room that…my mother used to stay in when she was with Father. We'll stay in there for a little while."

"But I'm fine!" Ria protested even still as Alucard led the way to the indicated room.

"You're tired," Sara said. "Alucard's right. You need to be as rested and as alert as possible."

Ria watched as Alucard disappeared into the room. She turned to her ghostly friend.

"Sara, what if he's killing my mother even now, and I didn't save her because I was…I don't know…sleeping? What good am I then? We shouldn't stop," she whispered, aware that Alucard could probably still hear her if he listened for her.

"And what if you get tired, get sloppy, and get killed before we even get to Sophy? What then?"

Ria opened her mouth to argue, but stopped abruptly as she watched Sara's face transform into one of horror. She pointed behind Ria, who turned and lashed out with the whip without really looking. When she finally realized what had happened, she saw a pile of white, bleached bones burning away in an almost mystical fire. She turned back to Sara, embarrassment coloring her face. Sara crossed her arms.

"See what I mean? I know you're not very far along in your training, but you're advanced enough that you should have heard that thing coming at you from a mile away. You need rest."

Ria couldn't argue with plain proof and reason. However, she growled under her breath, the noise directed only at herself.

"I shouldn't be tired," she mumbled, heading towards the safe room.

"Is that what you're arguing about? Ria, you're under-trained and under-experienced. No one's expecting you to make it through this castle in one fell swoop. In fact, I'm proud you've made it this far without needing to rest before now," Sara said, placing a hand on her pupil's shoulder.

Ria smiled once, briefly, at her before emerging into the room. She blinked, shocked to find the room similarly decorated to the bedroom portion of the hotel room Alucard had occupied. The only difference—and it was a big one—was the rather large coffin in the place of a bed. Alucard looked over at her, sitting in chair to the right of the coffin with one leg crossed ankle-over-knee.

"Got a thing for red, huh?" Ria asked before she could stop herself.

As she mentally slapped herself, Alucard gave her a grin that could almost be considered sly and said nothing. Ria was grateful for that as she took the seat on the other side of the coffin. She removed the backpack purse from her back and opened it, withdrawing the thermos. She popped off the attached green plastic cup and unscrewed the black cap revealed beneath. She poured until the cup was full, relishing the steam that still rose from the wonderful brown-black liquid. She replaced the cap and set the thermos by her side, sipping at the beverage. She looked up to see Alucard's nose curled upward in disgust.

"How can you drink that?" he asked.

Ria smiled wide as she took an especially large gulp…regretting it once it hit the back of her throat. The coffee was still rather warm. But she maintained her smile as she replied, "Nectar of the gods."

Alucard gave a low chuckle and shook his head. Sara laughed. Ria drank her cup dry, replacing it atop the thermos. Then, she reached into her pack and removed the Belmont Journals. She began to flip through them, idly, not quite sure what she was searching for. Sara was over her shoulder after a little bit, reading as much as she could off of each page before Ria moved on. Alucard seemed lost inside his own thoughts, sitting with his head downturned and his hair falling to each side, concealing his face.

"Nothing useful," Ria muttered finally, closing the journals softly in case the dhampire was napping.

She replaced them inside her pack and sighed. Each account from each Belmont lead to varying stories of what they could expect inside Castlevania. Richter even noted how Alucard had mentioned to Maria that the castle was a "creature of chaos" that could "take many incarnations." Ria rubbed her face with her hand, sliding down into her chair.

She could acutely feel every single ache in every one of her muscles now. When she had been moving, she had only been aware of the ache in her arms and the speed of her heart. Now, she could feel pain in her abdomen, like she had been doing some heavy duty work-out, and her feet hurt. And she was in her most comfortable pair of shoes! She felt tired, and her eyes began to drift shut no matter how much she fought them.

However, suddenly, so much so that Ria jumped and almost fell off of her chair, Alucard's head snapped up, and he stood so swiftly that Ria only felt the wind off of the motion. She leapt to her feet, looking between him and the door.

"I thought this was a safe room?" she asked, tensing for an attack.

"It is. Isaac's coming," he said, turning to her. "I'm going to make myself scarce."

He was moving towards the door when Ria caught his sleeve.

"But…but, why? Why keep this a secret? I mean, he's going to notice when I show up to kill Walter with you with me."

"A point well taken, Adriana. But, until then, let's keep this a secret a while longer…to ensure his loyalty to our cause," he said, and was out the door.

Ria turned to Sara, blinking. "Does this make any sense to you?"

Just as Sara was shaking her head, Isaac's voice responded, "Does what make any sense to whom?"

Ria jumped and watched as Isaac grinned his serpent's grin at her, stepping over the threshold into the room. His was clothed the same as always, and had his spear unsheathed and at the ready. She shook her head at him and crossed her arms.

"How's Mom? Is she all right?" she asked.

Isaac took Alucard's seat, crossing his legs in much the same way, leaning the spear against the coffin. Ria turned towards him, casting an eye backwards at the door. When she turned her attention back to the devil forger, his raised a crimson brow, casually flicking a lock of his hair out of his face.

"Whoever are you expecting, Adriana?" he asked.

"Never mind. Mom. How is she? Has something happened? Is that why you're avoiding the question?" Ria asked, slumping back into her chair.

Isaac waved his hand dismissively. "Sophy is perfectly well. And I wasn't avoiding the question, I'm just more interested in the fact that you keep looking at the door like you expect a guest."

She shrugged. "Monsters. But Mom's okay? How are you keeping him from sacrificing her?"

"I don't buy that answer for a moment, Adriana. You know as well as I do that this room is enchanted against those…monsters. Who are you waiting for, child?"

Ria rolled her eyes. "Could you stop calling me 'child.' You sound like a pompous ass when you do that. And I'm not waiting for any-frickin'-body!"

Isaac grinned. "You're still lying. Don't lie to a seasoned liar. It's not playing the odds."

Ria growled. "Fine! You really want to know? Then answer all my questions about Mom, and then I'll tell you. That sound fair?"

"Ria, what are you doing?" Sara hissed.

She shot a look at her ghostly friend dark enough to make a flower wilt, and Sara threw her hands into the air as if to say, "Fine. Whatever you think is best."

He grinned triumphantly. "Very well. You wanted to know how I kept her from being sacrificed? I convinced Walter that his hold would be nearly unbreakable if he sacrificed not only Sophy, but you as well."

Ria paled and Sara gasped. "What?" said the two simultaneously.

"It was better that than Sophy being sacrificed. And he'll wait for you to come to him…he likes games…and to him, there is no greater game than the hunter coming to rescue a fair damsel from the vampire's wicked grasp."

"Yes, and we remember how that ended," Sara said bitterly, putting her back to Isaac.

Ria agreed her, even though she could only do so silently. Aloud, she said, "How do we know that he won't taint her or something more horrible?"

"Because he needs her in the best of condition for the spell. Why would anyone want to use a damaged item in a strengthening spell?"

"I'll thank you to _never_ again refer to my mother as an item. Anyway, no matter how much sense that makes, Walter often doesn't make sense. That's still no kind of guarantee."

Isaac sighed and stood, picking up his spear. Ria stood as well and put her hand over her whip. The crimson-haired man scoffed at her and leaned on his spear.

"You want a guarantee? Walter ordered me to keep her alive and well. Does that sooth you?"

Ria opened her mouth to disagree, but closed it again, nodding. Isaac pointed the tip his spear at her, grinning, and slipped the blade under her chin, like he was placing a finger there instead. He removed it as quickly as he had placed it there. Ria sighed.

"Your spear's ugly," she said weakly, turning her face ever so slightly away from him.

He laughed. "Yes, well, when something that has been forged in the blood of countless humans like this spear was, beauty is then truly in the eye of the beholder."

Ria turned her up nose at the weapon. "In the blood of humans? And you use this thing? That's not only gross…it's just wrong. No telling what kind of hellish tortures those poor souls went through to forge that thing."

Isaac shrugged. "C'est la vie. Now, to your end of the bargain. Who are you waiting for?"

Ria closed her eyes as she answered. "Alucard. He's with me."

When she opened her eyes, she found that Isaac's were wide.

"Lord Dracula's son?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Did you meet him within the castle?"

She shook her head.

"When?"

"I met him one night in the café. I thought I could use the help."

Isaac went silent.

"What?" Ria asked.

"Nothing. It's just…the creatures of this castle…they should have reacted to the presence of Lord Dracula's son, but…they've only reacted to yours and your mother's. And his blood would have drove them wilder than even two Belmonts' worth. This is…strange."

Sara glanced at Ria, worried. If the castle wasn't acting the way it was supposed to…what did that mean? Was there something Alucard had not told them? Ria shrugged, feeling like she was doing a good job of keeping the confusion off of her face, and said, "Maybe he's using a spell…a glamour, is that what they're called? Maybe, he wanted me to keep it a secret from you that we were working together, so he cast the glamour. He did say something about ensuring loyalties."

Isaac was silent, thinking over her words. Finally, he nodded.

"Perhaps it is simply a glamour. A strong one, it would have to be, but he is the son of Lord Dracula, after all. Very well."

With that, he straightened himself and made his way towards the door. Ria watched him pass, but stopped the devil forger before he could exit the room.

"Isaac?"

"Yes, Adriana?"

"When will we…I…we see you again?" she asked, letting her arms fall limply to her sides.

"As soon as possible. Oh, and there is one more thing!" He turned back towards her and continued, "You won't have to fight your way all the way to the throne room. If you can make it to the coliseum, and Alucard would know where this is, that is where your mother is being held. If you get to Sophy, I believe Walter will come to you. Now, adieu…"

"Isaac!" Ria said, taking a single step towards him.

He sighed, turning once more, annoyance as clear on his features as the nose on his face.

"Yes?" he snapped at her.

"I…um…Thanks, Isaac. Thank you for watching over Mom…and continuing to do so."

He blinked at her, looking quite frozen. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally forced out a reply. And even then, it seemed strangled.

"You're…welcome, Adriana."

And he left, closing the door to the safe room behind him.

…………………

Isaac was only seven steps away from the outside of the safe room when he became aware of the fact that he wasn't alone. He held his spear at the ready, facing the direction he was sure his onlooker was in.

"Make yourself known," he growled.

With a deep chuckle, a man pale in his features, even in his long, white-blond hair, stepped out of the shadows.

"Hm…It would appear that my timing was off by a little bit," he said, a dark smile playing about his face.

Isaac blinked. "You!"

The devil forger was instantly caught between two very different instincts. The first, more benign one was overruled quickly. He gave into his second, forced into it by his blood bond with Walter. He cried out in anger—not at his target, but at his own, uncontrollable self—as he lunged towards the man with his spear out to run him through.

Of course, his target sidestepped the move easily.

Isaac turned, able to pause for only a moment to stare at the man's face. It was clean-shaven, although it still held its pointed features. But clean-shaven was not the way Isaac knew he preferred it. Against his will once more, Isaac lunged at him. Again, another side-step.

"I smell Walter all over you," Isaac's would-be prey hissed. "A _blood bond_? Tacky!"

"Against my will," Isaac bit out. He was able to hold his feet still a while longer as he added, "How are you here?"

This time, his target caught the shaft of Isaac's spear, just below the blade, and held him aloft. He chuckled darkly once more and answered, "Our dear Miss Ria Smith believes me to be my son. It's a shame I'll have to kill you, Isaac. You were such a loyal servant."

"Don't!" Isaac managed before Dracula reached out to strangle him.

Instead, the vampire king dropped the devil forger to the floor, who looked up at his former master with wide eyes.

"She thinks you're Alucard…" he muttered.

"Yes."

Isaac stood, all urges to attack gone.

"Alucard," he said, nodding. "If Ria believes it, then I can see you through her eyes…negating my orders."

Dracula laughed. "You were always one for technicalities, Isaac."

Isaac inclined his head, smiling. "I must take my leave of you…Alucard. Until our next meeting."

And with that, Isaac disappeared within the light of a teleportation spell, while Dracula fixed on his best neutral expression and reentered the safe room.

* * *

End Notes: I guess we finally know why Alucard's been acting weird, huh? Tune in next time!


	19. Tests

A/N- Thanks for the great reviews, everyone! I'm glad everyone liked that little reveal last chapter! I look forward to hearing from you all on this one. Please enjoy!

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Chapter 18- Tests

Isaac trudged his way into the coliseum, head downturned and his lips pursed in thought. Sophy rose to her feet within the cage, pressing herself to the bars as if she could just slip right through them. He looked up and met her eyes. They were watery with unshed tears and her lips and chin quivered.

"Ria?" she whispered.

Isaac smiled. She thought his thoughtful mood was one of worry or disappointment. He stopped just in front of the cage, looking up at her.

"Adriana is well. Barely a scratch on her. You should be very proud," he said.

Sophy exhaled as if she had been holding her breath for hours. She slumped back to the floor of the cage, resting her forehead to the bars. She smiled, a bit ruefully, and shook her head.

"It shouldn't be her," she said. "It should be me fighting through this castle…not her."

Isaac crossed his arms. "And then Ria would be where you are."

Sophy's hands tightened. "I wouldn't have allowed it."

"And you're saying that she did?"

"No!" Sophy cried out, rising to her feet again. "She's just a child! I'm just saying that I'm her mother! I should be the one protecting _her_."

Isaac smirked, recalling Ria's words to him.

"_Could you stop calling me 'child.' You sound like a pompous ass when you do that_."

But, in the end, Sophy was right. Adriana was a child, if not in age, then in experience. In fact, the very definition of "child" was inexperience. Every one of the Belmonts, each in their own way, had been children coming to fight Dracula, despite whether or not some of them had been the right age to be considered a "child" by the rest of their society. Only a few had come back to fight Lord Dracula as "adults," seasoned with the knowledge of what had come before.

And in that, Sophy was also wrong. Adriana knew more of the world, simply by virtue of knowing what lurked in the dark, than most. She was a woman outside of this castle…and a child within. A child sent against hordes of literal God forsaken creations…with Lord Dracula as her only guide.

Isaac physically jerked as the image of his former master flooded to the forefront of his mind. He beat it down, instead replacing it with the image of Dracula's son, Alucard. It was _not _Dracula leading her…it was Alucard. Only Alucard. Because that was Adriana's truth. No matter what the real truth was, Isaac would believe Adriana's truth…because, if he didn't, she would lose the only constant protection she had. Because he, himself, would have to take it from her.

…………………

Ria and her group were on the move again. She had informed Alucard of her mother's location, and the bright grin he had given her in response had lifted her heart. The coliseum, he told her, was near the middle of the castle, and much less of a distance than they would have had to trek if they had had to go to Walter in the throne room.

Alucard struck out with his sword now, slicing to pieces a knife-wielding zombie, while Ria employed the Vampire Killer in doing the same. While Alucard's sword split the zombies into pieces that fell before erupted into the flames, the Vampire Killer brought flames to the undead first. Ria figured that it must be some sort of holy power within the whip that caused this. When she had a free moment, she would ask Sara about it.

Sara, as she sometimes did, had disappeared from Ria's sight. Ria figured that she probably just went into the whip or something. Sara had often done so when Ria had been taking a shower or some other such thing in which the whip-bound woman had thought the girl would need privacy with. But she wished Sara would come back out of the whip to walk beside her. Being alone with Alucard unnerved her, a feeling that she did not recall any of the Belmonts that had met Alucard in times before her describing. Perhaps it was a side effect of the spell he was using to keep himself concealed from the instinct of the creatures of the castle?

Because he had to be using a spell. She had to be right. It just had to be a spell…

If he wasn't…Ria didn't want to think about what that could mean. The possibilities on that hand were endless…and none of them were good.

Ria awoke herself from her dreary thoughts and groaned at the sight of the series of platforms before her. Alucard was already halfway onto one. He had had to leap onto it…a leap that Ria was sure she would have trouble making.

"I miss the stairs," she said, approaching the platform as Alucard turned and grinned down at her.

The grin quickly disappeared as she saw him draw his sword. Ria, her hand still on the whip, turned, but a moment too late. One of the zombies had snuck up behind her, and now brought the knife down. It caught her upper left arm, making a two-inch cut downwards. She cried out and stumbled backwards. Losing her footing, she fell, hard, right onto her backside.

"Ria!" Alucard yelled, brandishing his sword.

The zombie was over Ria, his knife poised to strike. She clutched her arm, which was bleeding profusely, and stared, wide eyed and in horror. The light of the candles in the room glinted off the end of the blade not soaked in dried blood—and fresh blood, Ria's own.

She was sure that this was it. The end. Taken out by a zombie, before she could even see Walter with her own two eyes. But the zombie did not strike. Instead, it merely stood there, growling over her as if he were waiting for her to follow some sort of order.

Ria heard the slice of metal on flesh and watched as the now split-asunder zombie fell and burned away. The next image filling before her was Alucard, his eyes glowing a very faint crimson. She blinked up at him as he wiped his blade, and then offered his free hand to her. She shook her head and pushed herself to her feet, her right hand leaving a bloody handprint on the floor. She sucked in her breath as she looked down at the cut on her arm.

"Ria!" Sara said, appearing to the girl's side. "Ria, what happened? How did that zombie sneak up on you?"

Ria shook her head, and by way of answering, she looked at Alucard and said, "I'm sorry. I should have heard that thing coming. I don't know why I didn't."

"I did not hear it myself. Zombies are not always the mindless minions legend makes them out to be. He might have been waiting to ambush us…or, judging by the fact that you have no other knife wounds, ambush you."

Ria blinked, but nodded. She should be Swiss Cheese Smith, but the zombie had spared her further damage. Ria recalled that Isaac had said something about not using damaged goods in a strengthening spell. It all made perfect sense in that regard. Isaac had been telling her the truth.

"You're right, I think. Walter probably doesn't want me any more injured than what I have to be," she said.

"We have to treat your injury," Sara said…moments before Alucard said the same.

"There should be another safe room around here, up these platforms. Can you make it?" the dhampire said, pointing upwards.

Ria nodded, sadly. "I have a small first aid kit with me. I think we can patch me up with that."

"Good thinking. Here, I'll help you climb," he said, all but hoisting her onto the platform before them.

"God, I just can't win for losing," she said, waiting for Alucard to climb upward.

"Even your ancestors had to take the time to heal their wounds, Ria," Sara said, placing a hand on her uninjured arm.

"Your mother is not going to be sacrificed any time soon, thanks to Isaac's surprisingly quick excuse. We have time, Ria. Which is a lot to have on your side when facing a vampire," Alucard said.

"I guess so. How many more platforms before the safe room? This really hurts," Ria said, pointing to her cut.

"Only three."

"Oh," she groaned. "_Only_ three."

* * *

End Notes: Poor Ria really can't win for losing, can she? When will dear Ria find out "Alucard's" dark little secret? Tune in next time! Please review!


	20. Deceiving Appearances

A/N- Thanks for the review(s)! Here's the next chapter!

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Chapter 19- Deceiving Appearances

Ria was bandaged and fighting much better despite her small wound. Taking a tag team approach, Alucard and she took down an animate suit of armor that blocked the pathway to a heavy wooden door that the dhampire had informed her they needed to reach. Ria rolled out of the way of the armor's flying axes, knocking one out of the air and to her side. She drew the monster's fire while Alucard came down on its side, his sword slicing through its metal body like it was nothing more than warm butter. The creature collapsed into pieces, eventually burning away like every other creature had. Ria stood and shook her head.

"Is all the fire a Hell metaphor or something?" she asked as Alucard yanked open the door, which made a loud, very wooden creak.

"Or something," he responded as she walked into the small hall beyond the door.

He closed it behind them, and they walked in silence into the next section of the castle, the only sounds being their footfalls echoing around them. They were greeted on the other side of yet another antiquated door by more axe-wielding, evilly-animated armors that were a little harder to dispatch, due to their numbers. There were at least four, and the armors were smart enough to figure out that two-on-one bettered their odds.

"Watch out!" Sara yelled as a flying axe grazed Ria's uninjured arm.

Alucard had drew his two armors away from Ria, and seemed to be doing better about destroying his. Ria cried out, more in anger and annoyance than pain, and lashed out, low, with the whip. Knocking out the knees of the armor before her, she sent it crashing to the floor, breaking it apart. Of course, more burning followed. She then turned her attention to her remaining armor…which broke apart before she could even begin an attack. Alucard stood behind it as it fell away. She pushed herself to her feet, unhappy with the count she was racking up of herself ending up on the floor. Alucard eyed her newest wound and raised a brow in a silent question.

"It's not even bleeding, really," she answered. "I've gotten worse scraps than this playing in a sandbox when I was younger. Let's keep moving."

Alucard nodded, and Sara seemed satisfied as well with her analysis. The dhampire moved to the front of the group, and when he spoke to Ria next, he did not even bother looking over his shoulder.

"We should have the smallest of reprieves, if Walter has not mixed up the order of creatures in this castle. My father cherishes the portraits within this gallery and does not like the roughness that the creatures often display around them."

For the first time since entering this newest section of Castlevania, Ria looked around. For a demon infested—if not possessed—castle, this section was darkly beautiful. Black marble comprised the floor, columns, walls, and ceilings all around her, and portraits hung in little niches accented with richly crimson velvet hangings every few feet. The portraits themselves were of many things; people, places, items…mostly people, she noticed. Sara's eyes were glued to the paintings as they passed each one, and if she wasn't already dead, Ria guessed she would be breathless.

"There was nothing like this in this castle when Walter ruled it…and I have never before got such a clear view of it with the other Belmonts. I don't think this section had been conceived yet when Sonia fought her way through…or maybe it had? I don't know; it's been so long," Sara murmured.

"It's beautiful," Ria said low, knowing that Alucard would not find her comment out of place.

They were passing a small portrait now of a woman with pale hair, a bit paler than Alucard's, in a black dress. The woman seemed very sad, and her face was downturned, as if her eyes were eternally locked on the marble floor. Ria looked up to the flowing locks of the dhampire to compare the colors of the woman's hair to his. They were very much the same…but small, very small, streaks of black—or was it just silver?—shot through his hair, unlike the woman's. Ria began to inquire who the woman, but stopped as the group began to pass another, larger portrait.

It was easily the largest portrait in the gallery, going nearly from floor to ceiling. Ria came to a halt before it, entranced by its single subject. She had never seen the man in the picture before, but she knew who he was…and he still seemed so familiar to her. His features were pale, like so many beings inside Castlevania, and he was dressed in rich blacks and reds, a crimson stone encased in gold hung around his neck. His eyes were dark, but hints of crimson were brought out by the stone he wore…almost like a well-chosen accessory. His hair was pale, a white-blond with the smallest streaks of black or silver interwoven in the locks. His chin was graced by a small, thin, and well-trimmed beard that was same color of his hair, and his lip held a mustache that perfectly matched the beard. Ria gave a short laugh, which she noticed—out of the corner of her eye—brought Alucard to a stop. Yes, she knew this man in the portrait.

"You know," she began, looking back and forth between Alucard and the portrait, "you really look a lot like your fath…"

Her brain reeled backwards, to the night that seemed so very long ago when she sat and first read the Belmont Journals. She recalled Maria's description of Alucard—a much romanticized, but seemingly accurate description. She had mentioned the similarities between the dhampire's features and his father's…but…she had said that he seemed to resemble the other parent…the one Maria had not seen.

Ria whirled on "Alucard," pointing an accusing finger at the smirking man.

"You! I c-can't believe it! You!" she said, now moving her hand to point to the portrait.

Sara clapped both her hands over her mouth, her eyes wider than saucers. "That's why you looked so familiar to me…"

"I had honestly expected you to figure it out earlier," he said, dropping the only glamour he had been using.

It had been a minor one, one that simply kept the facial hair off. Now, the subject once again matched the portrait.

"Dracula!" Ria said breathlessly, holding tightly to the whip.

The vampire king clicked his tongue at her, shaking his head. He took a single step forward, as Ria took one back. Sara still had her mouth covered and her eyes had yet to reduce themselves to normal size.

"Now, now…after all I've done to help you, are you really going to turn against me? When you know that I'm the only reason you're still alive in my castle?"

His grin was wicked, more so than any other grin Ria had ever seen him wear before. Her whole body shook, anger and fear making her nerves feel raw. Her grip on the Vampire Killer was like a vice, but her hand was not steady which made the end of the whip that rested on the floor look like a dying fish.

"If I had wanted you dead, you would have been so already," Dracula noted calmly.

Ria knew he was right. Of course he was right! He had deceived her, easily. Too easily. She was sick with herself. A descendant of the name Belmont…and she couldn't even tell Dracula from anyone else. He could have killed her at any time now…and perhaps he would have been right to do so…

"He deceived me too, Ria, and I've fought him for much longer than you," Sara said, as if she had read her trainee's thoughts.

This did comfort Ria…but not enough to consider herself comforted. A million questions flew through her head…finally, she quelled down all the unimportant ones and focused.

"Why?" she forced out through clenched teeth.

Dracula laughed, and it was a hollow sound that scared Ria more than anything else she had yet seen.

"My child—" Ria cringed, hating the way he called her so, but said nothing to interrupt, "How else would I get my throne back, if I had not a vampire hunter with me? I am powerful, yes, but the creatures in the castle vastly outnumber me…and they answer only to the wielder of the Crimson Stone."

"I had already agreed with Isaac to help restore you…for sake of balance," Ria said, almost choking on her words.

"Yes, that you did. But a devil forger is nothing when compared to the King of Vampires. I'll admit that, due to his…connection with Walter, Isaac has proven quite useful…but you needed someone much more powerful to guide you through this place. You are inexperienced, Ria. Talented, but untrained…or under-trained, I should say. You will make a formidable enemy one night when you come to face me…provided you live through this."

There was silence now…but the sounds of creatures in other rooms within the gallery echoed to where the vampire and the vampire hunter stood. Sara looked between the two, finally stepping in front of a seething Ria.

"Ria…perhaps another rest? We should decide what to do with this…development," she gently suggested.

"Fine," Ria snapped.

"What was that?" Dracula asked.

"I'm fine, but we should still probably rest again…to talk," Ria corrected.

"Yes, very well. I know where another room is…follow me."

She did so, with more reluctance than she had ever possessed in her life. They managed to avoid the only monster between them and the room. They slipped inside, Dracula taking a seat beside the room's coffin while Ria moved to stand on the other side of the room. She shook her head, trying to control the anger and disgust that ruled her every thought. She kept standing herself up beside every one of her ancestors…and nothing they had ever done had felt this stupid. She was a failure, she was sure, to the name Belmont.

Meanwhile, Dracula looked quite pleased with himself. He grinned constantly at her, as if she were his dinner guest, cordially invited to this place. Ria shuddered with that thought, reminding herself what vampires ate. Finally, he sighed and crossed his legs, propping one arm up on the back of his chair.

"Why exactly are we resting? What is there to speak about?" he asked.

"You! You're what I have to think about!" she all but shouted at him.

"How so?"

She hated his calm, cool demeanor. She hated the way he wouldn't stop smiling at her. And, most of all, she hated the way that this seemed to be just business as usual for him. She coiled the whip and attached it to her belt, not entirely sure that that was a good idea either. But it was true that he had not attacked or killed her thus far…in for a penny…She crossed her arms.

"You're asking me what I have to think about? You've lied to me, used me, and—oh, yeah! You're my family's sworn enemy! Not to mention a monster, in all meanings of the word," she hissed at him.

"If it helps, I was once a friend to your family, long, long ago," he noted.

"Oh, yeah, I read _all_ about that…I know how that ended. I wouldn't bring that up as your one bright spot, Drac."

He rolled his eyes. A very elementary, immature part of Ria wanted to crack up. Dracula had rolled his eyes! She found this oddly hilarious. But she bit that part of herself down and reminded herself of just how pissed she was at him at the moment.

"Child, don't call me 'Drac.' I do hate it," he said, standing.

"And I hate being called 'child!'" she snapped back.

"Very well, Ria, might I mention that we're wasting time here."

She threw a finger up in front of him.

"Oh, no. You've been demoted to calling me by my full name. Adriana, only."

"You don't even know the origin of your own name."

A weak distraction, but Ria knew he was right. She recalled the night back at the hotel, when she had first met "Alucard." She shuddered now more than usual at the memory. She bowed, mockingly, before him when she responded.

"Then enlighten me, why don't you?"

"It's the feminine form of my son's true name, Adrian. Your family idolizes him for betraying me, so they adopted his name as a family one. I find it disgusting, idolized for betraying family," he said, stepping towards her.

She glared at him. "Because betraying a friend is so much better?"

He actually had no reply to that. He simply stared her, seeming to take a measure of her. Finally, he grinned again.

"Have we all our affairs in order then?" he asked, making his way over to the room's door.

"No. My mother…we're here for her…and she means nothing to you, does she?" Ria asked, stepping in front of the vampire.

Sara, who had been silent and watchful throughout this entire argument, gasped. She reached out, as if to pluck Ria from her place in Dracula's path, but her hand stopped short. Whether it was because she knew it would do no good, or that she thought that blocking Dracula's path was Ria's true place, she let her ghostly hand drop down.

"Be careful, Ria," she warned.

Ria was through with being careful and considerate. She had been careful and had still been tricked. Dracula glared down at the young girl, but Ria did not so much as blink…no matter how much she wanted to. She even avoided swallowing, which she so desperately wanted to do. There was a large lump in her throat again…

"Do you want to truth, _Adriana_?" the vampire king hissed down at her.

She nodded.

"Your mother means less to me than all the dust covering my castle. She's just a means to an end."

Ria took a deep breath. "The end being my help in defeating Walter?"

Dracula nodded. Ria took a single step closer to him.

"Then you're going to find that she means a whole hell of a lot to you, if you want my help. Because if she dies…Walter can have the world."

Sara gasped. Dracula's eyes widened. And both searched Ria's crystal blue eyes—cold now—to see if she meant what she had said. It didn't take long for them to figure out that she did. In the end, Dracula stepped back from Ria.

"Very well. Our first priority is saving your mother," he said evenly.

Ria nodded. She was still shaking as Sara moved to put a hand on the girl's shoulder. Ria refused to meet the ghost's eyes. She knew that her words must have disappointed the long-dead woman…but she could not take them back. Even if she wanted to.

In a swift move, Dracula pushed past Ria, who raised a brow at him. He paused briefly at the door, explaining that he heard Isaac approaching. She nodded, and the vampire king disappeared. Ria took a seat in a chair facing the door, trying to hide her shaking limbs. Isaac appeared shortly after, looked around the room once, and finally rested his eyes on Ria.

"How's my mother?" Ria asked.

"In perfect health, unharmed and worried about you," Isaac answered, leaning in the doorway.

"Good. And Walter? He's not making any alternate plans?" she bit out.

Isaac raised a brow at her. "No, but he is growing impatient with you. Is there something wrong, Adriana?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Who watches my mother when you're not with her? I thought the creatures of this castle wanted Belmont blood?"

He shrugged. "My devils watch over her. And why do you seem so angry?"

Ria jumped to her feet, which caused Isaac to stiffen and reach for his spear. He relaxed, only a little, when he noticed that she was simply pacing in front of him.

"You wouldn't believe…" she began, scoffing and leaving the sentence hanging.

"Try me."

She paused, looking at the devil forger as if she had forgotten he was there. Finally, she huffed and placed her hands on her hips.

"Dracula. He's been masquerading as Alucard with me this whole time…I feel like such an idiot!" she said.

Instantly, Isaac's hand reached out and gripped the stone doorway hard enough to produce a hairline crack in the wall. Ria blinked at him, remembering his blood bond and orders to hunt down Dracula.

"I'm sorry," she said, a bit calmer. "If it helps your bond, I don't know where he's at right now."

"It does…a little. You couldn't still think of him as Alucard? It was so much easier when I could think of him as Alucard, through you and your skewed point of view," he said, his hand relaxing a fraction.

"No, I ca—Wait. Still? Skewed? Isaac…did you know?" Ria asked, stopping in front of him.

He eyed her, silent. Her nostrils flared as her lips pressed tightly together into a thin line.

"How long?" she growled.

He shook his head. "Since the last time I visited you, here in the castle."

She was shaking again. Isaac's gaze, however, was kinder than Dracula's had been when he had been discovered. In fact, it was almost like Isaac was pleading with her to understand. Her chin quivered like she was about to cry or scream…she was close to both. Finally, she put her back to the forgemaster.

"Get out," she whispered.

"What?" he asked, and Ria heard him take the smallest of steps forward.

She whirled on him, causing him to retreat that step. "Just get away from me, Isaac! Go and continue to take care of my mother, and don't bother coming back!"

"Ria!" Sara said sharply. "I know you're angry, but you're throwing away a very valuable resource here. Please, take it back. We need all the help we can get."

"I don't need your help," Ria yelled, more towards Sara than Isaac, although she was still referring to him. "Not here. Keep my mother alive. That's all I need of you. Leave!"

He actually looked a little injured. He inclined his head once, backing out of the room. Ria threw herself into the chair she had previously occupied, fighting tears. She had been deceived not once, but twice. By people she knew she should not have trusted in the first place…but she had been so desperate to have help…so sure that she could not do this on her own…

Sara began to reprimand her for her rash behavior. However, she glared at her friend, sending her quickly back into silence. After a few moments, the whip-bound woman sighed.

"We'll just wait for Dracula to return…then we'll push on," she said, disappearing within the whip.

Ria could use the time alone.

* * *

End Notes: Ah, nothing like an angry, emotionally injured teenager. I hope everyone enjoyed this! For a fun fact, I listened to The Pierce's "Secret" throughout writing this chapter.


	21. I'm Not Crazy

A/N- So, I've recently acquired on DVD the fourth season of Two and a Half Men, and I love how their episode titles (I've only watched about half of season one and now all of season four of this show, so I've never noticed this until now) are lines of dialogue within the episode. So, that's how I've come to choose to the title to this chapter (I did some title swapping in previous chapters, so this one needed a whole new title). Just a little fun fact. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 20- I'm Not Crazy

Dracula said that they were getting closer to the coliseum. Ria didn't argue, figuring that the vampire king ought to know the layout of his own castle. But her silence towards him held more than agreement. It was also filled with the utmost contempt.

Since the discovery of the vampire's true identity and the fact that Isaac had known about it before Ria, the group—without Isaac, of course—had made a great deal of progress. By Ria's count, they had gone now a whole two to two and a half hours without having to stop at a safe room again. Ria was quite happy with this…Dracula and Sara did not share her feelings.

Of course, that was probably because Ria now had a cut on her right arm to match the one on her left, a gash in her leg that was healing, a small scrape on one of her knees, and a tiny cut on the right side of her forehead where a bat's claw had got her. She was bleeding, but not anywhere near life threatening amounts. And she was feeling no pain. She was too angry to feel pain.

But Sara was worried about her, and Ria was sure that the smell of her blood was more than probably driving Dracula insane. But he couldn't attack her…then he wouldn't have the means to defeating Walter. The scent was probably torturing him.

This thought brought a small smile to Ria's face.

The group was currently near the halfway mark in the Marble Gallery, according to Dracula. Sara had finally had enough. She stepped in front of Ria, who stopped. She might have been able to walk right through her friend, but she had never tried it. Nor had she wanted to. Walking through someone just seemed…wrong.

"What is it?" Dracula asked.

Ria ignored him, staring straight ahead…which was right at Sara. Sara had her hands on her dainty hips and her face set in a glare.

"Adriana Smith, you need to heal. We are resting and that is final!" Sara said.

"I'm not resting. I'm not going to waste any more time in getting to my mother. And I'm sure that my pace so far has been annoying Drac back here," she replied, jerking a thumb back at the vampire.

"Who in the world are you speaking to, girl?" Dracula asked.

Well, now Dracula thought Ria was losing her mind. She supposed if she had really wanted to annoy him, this would be the way to do it. Her only response to his inquiry was a glare, before she turned her attention back to Sara, who was looking quite perturbed.

"Ria, if you push yourself too far, Walter will surely…destroy you. You can't let Dracula get to you. If he gets to you, he wins, always. I know you're angry—"

Ria cut her off. "Angry? Angry doesn't even begin to cover it! I refuse to rest with this…this _monster_ anymore! We're saving my mother and killing Walter on my time…and I say I can handle a hell of a lot more than this—" she waved her arms about for emphasis, "before I give out. Now, let's keep going!"

She shot a look at Dracula, and, if she wasn't so pissed at him, she would have laughed. The lord of darkness actually looked kind of…frightened was too strong of a word…_uneasy_ with the way Ria was acting. He must have been questioning if his little reveal or if the castle as a whole was affecting the girl. Or maybe he was considering a sound slap across her face, to bring her back to her senses? Ria scoffed and rolled her eyes, pushing past Sara, who only whirled to continue to speak to the departing Ria.

"Adriana, you listen to me right now, young lady! I am your trainer and your friend, and I am worried about you! You are letting your anger get way out of control! You have—" Sara yelled at her until a gasp from Dracula cut her off.

Both women turned towards him. Dracula's eyes were wide and staring right at Sara. And if he wasn't already deathly pale, all the color would have been gone from his features.

"What?" Ria asked.

"Don't you…see her?" Dracula muttered, pointing, briefly, at Sara.

Sara blinked, shocked. "Me?"

"Sara?" Dracula whispered, stepping closer to her.

Ria moved quickly between her friend and the vampire. Dracula stopped just before Ria, his eyes glued to the ghostly figure behind her.

"It _is_ you!" he said, stepping back again.

"You can see her? How?" Ria asked.

His eyes now fell on her. "How is it that she is even here? She died…centuries ago."

"Because of you!" Sara snapped.

"Really? You can see her?" Ria said pointing at Sara.

Dracula sighed. "Yes, Adriana, yes! I can see her as clearly as I see you!"

Maybe Dracula _should_ have slapped her. In any case, she sure felt like she needed it now. How was this even possible? All this time with Ria being the only one able to see her…and now suddenly Dracula gains the ability to be aware of Sara? Of course, when she thought about it for a moment, there was one glaring difference.

"It must be this castle," Ria said.

"What? He's never been able to see me before!" Sara said.

"Before?" Dracula exclaimed. "What before? How long have you been…present?"

Sara rolled her eyes. Ria scoffed. For being the only teenager here, she rolled her eyes a hell of a lot less than her two, centuries old companions did. A crash in the distance made Ria and Sara jump and Dracula whirl around to face its source. When he turned back, his eyes widened.

"Where did she go?" he asked.

Ria and Sara exchanged looks. Ria shrugged.

"She's right here. Right where she was," she answered.

"I can't see her now."

Ria arched a brow just as Sara grabbed her arm protectively. She pointed behind Dracula, her eyes reflecting fear.

"There's something coming! We need a safer place than this," she said.

"I see you again," Dracula said, matter-of-factly.

"Although it _is_ nice to have confirmation that I'm not crazy, maybe you should focus. Is there a safe room near here where we can hash this out without fear or possibility of death?" Ria said, using two fingers to motion his eyes to hers.

Dracula blinked, giving his head the smallest of shakes.

"No, no safe room near here. But my creatures rarely enter the clock tower. Time confuses some of those who do not fully comprehend their existence. It's the room just beyond. Move ahead."

Another crash sounded in the room behind, and it sounded a lot closer than the last one. Ria turned, not needing to be told twice, and pushed ahead. Moments later, she emerged in a room occupied by two statues stationed above the right and left side of the room, one of which—she noticed—moved as the hour struck on the giant clock behind her. Ria moved to the center of the room, Sara following close behind her.

"Can you still see me?" Sara asked, turning to face Dracula.

"Where did she go?" he asked simultaneously.

"That would be a no," Ria said, looking at her friend.

"Explain this," the vampire king demanded, his eyes locked on Ria.

"Don't order her around like that!" Sara snapped.

Dracula crossed his arms. "Again, I see you. Why do you fade? Does she fade in your eyes, Ria?"

"Adriana," Ria corrected harshly. "And no. She doesn't."

"How are you still here, Sara?" he asked, seeming to pay no mind to Ria's correction.

"I'm why the Vampire Killer works. My soul is bound to it, gives it its power. It was an alchemy spell that bound me. Surely you remember your old practice?" she said, acid dripping from every word.

Ria's eyes darted to Dracula, who appeared lost in thought. His eyes were roving Sara's form, studying her. Ria turned to attention back to her ghostly friend, who appeared to be getting angrier and angrier the more he stared.

"Interesting. I am familiar with the spell…I was unaware that this was a side effect of it," he said, his head tilting ever so slightly to the side. He looked like a cat who was wondering why its mousy-plaything had suddenly stopped moving.

"I'm a _side effect_?" the ghostly woman hissed.

Ria rubbed the bridge of her nose. If Sara got any more hostile, she would be red and screaming like a steam whistle. Dracula arched a brow at her.

"Have any of the other Belmonts been able to see you?"

"I don't see where that is any of your business!" Sara yelled.

He shrugged. "Very well. Just my curiosity, not really important," he turned to Ria and added, "Now that we have a moment of peace, I had an idea that may serve us well."

Ria opened her mouth, trying to find the right words. For a moment, words wouldn't even form. Sara was heaving just like any living person who was trying their best to hold in their anger. Her hands her clenched at her sides, and she strode forward to put herself between Ria and Dracula.

"We're not through with this!" she shouted.

Ria pointed towards her friend. "Uh…I think she's right. I mean, we don't even know how you are able to see her. In truth, only female Belmonts have been able to see her."

She knew that Sara had only kept that information from him to spite him, but Ria figured that if she threw Dracula an informational tidbit, he might be a bit more forthcoming. Now, he waved his hand dismissively.

"You were probably correct before, Adriana. It's most likely the castle affecting her," he said.

"But you haven't seen me before, you idiot!" Sara said, close to outright screaming.

"Has she ever been this emotional?" Dracula asked, leaning around Sara to look at Ria.

"Not really."

"That explains it then. This castle feeds off strong emotions. And I'll also wager that her bond with you, personally, has affected it. Are the two of you close?"

"Leave her out of this!"

Sara was finally screaming at the vampire king. Ria couldn't stop herself from covering her own mouth in shock. She had never seen Sara with any sort of reaction like that. Not even when she had had to relive her time with Walter. Dracula grinned.

"That concludes it, I think. Now, onto my plan. It concerns Isaac and you, Adriana," he said.

Sara was breathing heavily again, her eyes wide and nostrils flared. She now appeared to stiffen in her place in front of Ria. She crossed her arms and huffed.

"I won't let you harm her," she said.

"What about Isaac?" Ria asked, stepping just off to the side of Sara.

"I propose a blood bond between the two of you," he said.

Ria's face automatically contorted into one of disgust—anything that vampires did concerning blood just couldn't be pretty—while Sara shook her head.

"No. That's not going to happen," Sara snapped.

"Why don't you let the child decide? It would be most beneficial," Dracula sneered.

"Then why don't you do it?"

"A blood bond with me, with the one he already has from Walter, would tear him to pieces."

"Oh! _That's_ going to make me want to agree to this. She's not doing it!"

"Um, maybe if I knew—" but Ria cut herself off. It was clear that the two were just not listening to her.

They continued snipping at one another. It took several go-arounds, but Dracula finally looked like he was getting angry with the whip-bound spirit. Ria kept trying to interrupt, finding it more and more likely that they had forgotten she was even there.

"I have planned this out, thoroughly," Dracula said in defense of the bond.

"I've seen your plans, Dracula. They don't always quite turn out the way you want them to. Myself, for instance, is a perfect representation of that. Not to mention the fact that Walter's back. In fact, all of this mess is pretty well all your cursed fault!" Sara hissed, glaring daggers at the vampire.

Ria sighed. This was worse than some of the arguments she had heard in school. _He did it first! Nuh-huh, she did!_ And not once had either stopped to ask Ria's opinion. Did she want to be blood bonded with Isaac? What were the side effects? The pros? The cons?

Meanwhile, Dracula threw his hands up defensively, shaking his head. "Well, hindsight's twenty-twenty!"

Sara blinked. "Okay, I know how I know modern speech. Where did you learn that one?"

"I've been watching television at the hotel!"

Ria lost it. She actually screamed. A loud, shrill shriek of a scream that made even Ria want to put her hands over her ears. Dracula's and Sara's eyes were wide as they turned her attention to her.

"Ria, what—?" Sara began, but stopped as Ria shook her head violently.

"I can't deal with this! Get out! Go, work out your histories, and then come back. When you're sane again!" she yelled, pointing at the door behind Dracula.

"But…Ria…" Sara said.

"Go!" she screamed.

Dracula puffed up his chest. "I will not be ordered about by a little girl."

Ria reached for her whip, letting it unfurl to the ground. He stepped, perhaps unconsciously, a little bit back from her.

"Go outside and talk…no yelling! I just can't deal with this right now!" she screamed, gripping the whip with a vice grip.

"Okay, okay. We will…just…"

But Sara didn't finish her sentence. Instead, Dracula and she simply backed from the room. Ria, somewhere in the back of her mind, wondered just how far away Sara could go from her…from the whip. But she didn't care. They were out of the room, their problems with them.

But Ria really didn't feel any better. She was shaking. Finally, she just burst into tears. She had never been a crier, not really. Not even as a child. But now here she was, standing in the middle of Castlevania, the tears just streaming down her face.

She sat on the floor, putting her face in her hands, and just sobbed.

* * *

End Notes: So, Ria had this coming, the crying, that is. I hope the reason Dracula could see Sara was clear…if not, don't worry. It'll be brought up again. Please review!


	22. Dark Ideas

A/N- I really loved everyone's reaction to that last chapter! Okay, so I've been trying to stay at least two chapters, writing-wise, ahead of each posting...I was doing great until this weekend. It's the end of my summer job, and I spent the weekend with a dear friend of mine. Got no writing done. However, I'm posting this and pushing onward. I'll have chapter 22 up ASAP after this one, and after it's finished, of course. Please enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 21- Dark Ideas

Sara's lips were pursed as Dracula and she stopped a few feet away from the clock tower door. She hugged her arms to herself and stared intently back towards the door that, behind which, sat Ria. She shook her head.

"She was crying," Sara said in a faraway voice. "We made her cry."

"She's a child. Children cry, Sara," Dracula said, neither comforting nor condescending.

Sara whirled on him, an anger-fueled fire in her eyes. The vampire king shook his head and flicked back his hair. It was a stare down now. Neither Sara nor Dracula moved or spoke for a long moment. Finally, Dracula smirked.

"Well? I suppose you intend to do as the girl told you to do—talk things out with me."

Sara gave a soft growl. "Would that be so bad?"

"It's pointless and time-wasting."

Sara moved to lean against the nearby wall. "How so?"

Dracula shrugged. "I killed you, Sara. Not directly, no, but I'm the reason you're like this. That's a grudge that doesn't go away. Does it?"

He gave her an expectant look, and she looked away. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and downcast for a few moments. Finally, she sighed.

"No. I hate to admit this—and you don't know just how much I hate it—but you're right. You killed me and many others. Innocents, all. Because your wife died. Both of them. You couldn't let go of their deaths, and I can't let go of mine. I can't forgive you, but…for Ria's sake…I can be civil with you, so long as you can see me."

Dracula arched a bow at her, cocking his head to the side. He gave another smirk.

"You really care for this girl, don't you? More than any other Belmont before her…except perhaps Leon," he said, smiling wider when Sara visibly flinched.

She only nodded in reply, not trusting herself to speak. Dracula nodded knowingly.

"Then I believe that both the girl and I were right. A combination of both the castle and your personal bond with her is what is making you visible to all now. You care for her like you would a friend or, dare I say, a sister. You've never felt that close to any of the other Belmonts, have you?" he pushed, taunting her, much like a bully might go looking for a fight on a playground.

Sara nodded. She opened her mouth to answer when Dracula suddenly gave an aggravated sigh.

"I can't see you anymore, Sara," he said.

Sara smiled. "Good. Then you won't hear me tell you how right you are."

…………………

Ria sat, sobbing harder than she had ever cried in her life—except, perhaps, when her Father had died— in the middle of the clock tower room's floor. She was still holding the Vampire Killer, just not as tightly, the handle now wet with her tears. She sniffled, trying to get herself under control. She was really being quite loud, her sobs echoing around the room.

"Adriana?"

Ria was on her feet and whirled, finding herself thankful that her body—seeing as she did not lash out with the whip or gasp or scream when she turned—had realized that the voice belonged to Isaac before her mind did. He stood right below one of the openings usually blocked by the hanging statues, his eyes wide in what Ria would almost call concern. She put her back to him, using her fingers, the heel of her hand, and the back of her hand to try and wipe away all the evidence that she had just been crying her eyes out. She looked back at him, putting the whip away and crossing her arms. She hoped that her face or her eyes weren't too red. But judging by the fact that he still had that same look on his face, she knew that she hoped in vain.

Isaac's eyes were roving her body, and Ria was feeling very uncomfortable, even though the looks crossing over his face were not inappropriate. Finally, Isaac strode forward, taking Ria gently by the shoulders—careful to avoid her injuries—and made her sit back down on the ground.

"These wounds haven't been treated, Adriana," he said, a slight tone of surprise in his voice. "Do you have the means to do so?"

Ria felt the tears coming again. She knew that she must look like she had been beaten half to death and to Hell and back, and that led her to think how useless she felt, crying while her mother was in grave danger. She opened her mouth to answer Isaac, but her voice caught in her throat. Instead, she removed her backpack purse from her back and gently shoved it into his hands, nodding.

He opened the pack and removed the small first aid kit. He opened it with a shake of his head and removed all the necessary items to clean and dress her wounds. Ria could feel the tears sliding, sneakily, out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She sniffled again, not wanting Isaac to have to see her with both bloodshot eyes _and_ a snotty-nose.

"Hold still," Isaac said softly, applying the gelled antibiotic to Ria's smaller wounds.

"Okay," Ria whispered back.

The scrape on her knee and the cut from the bat's claw on her head were quickly dressed. After they were taken care of, Isaac paused and eyed Ria's bigger wounds—the un-bandaged cut on Ria's right arm and the gash on her leg. The forgemaster sighed.

"I wish my sister were here. She was always better at healing magics than I," he muttered, tapping his fingers absently on the plastic case of the first aid kit.

"You have—" Ria paused as his eyes met hers. She smiled apologetically before continuing, "I'm sorry, _had_ a sister?"

"No need to worry about it being a sore subject, Adriana. In a strange way, Julia outlived me. I died way back when, remember?" he smiled, putting a hand over Ria's injured leg. "But yes. Her name was Julia. I did a spell to find out what had happened to her after I died, out of curiosity. She had a good life. Married, had three or four children. Died at a ripe old age and, all the while, was able to practice her witchcraft without fear, finally. I'm…happy she got to live her life."

Isaac had pressed his lips into a thin line after that last bit, and Ria looked away, sorry that the subject had come up no matter that he had told her not to worry about it. Isaac muttered a few words she didn't understand and removed his hand, the only cut left being the one in her jeans. She blinked, impressed.

"Don't sell yourself short, Isaac. I can't do anything like this," she said, gesturing to her leg.

He smiled a small smile. "Julia taught me this, actually. Again, she was always the better magician."

Isaac moved on to her arm and had it healed in a matter of moments. He sat back, sitting cross-legged on the floor beside her. Ria eyed him before finally sighing.

"Do you miss her?" she asked.

Isaac gave her a half-smile. "Sometimes. You remind me of her, slightly. Or perhaps I just think that she would have lived better in these times rather than our own."

"How do I remind you of her?"

He shrugged. "She was very independent, strong. Everything that I never was, never could be. She was a witch and fought all her life to simply practice her art, dodging witch hunt after witch hunt."

Ria mouthed an "oh" but said nothing further. She looked away from the forgemaster, biting her bottom lip lightly, trying to think of how to continue the conversation. She looked up and past Isaac, her eyes on the door. How long would it take Dracula and Sara to work out their problems?

She suddenly felt racked with guilt. She sighed, putting a hand over her eyes.

"Oh God," she muttered, inhaling deeply and removing the hand.

"What is it?" Isaac said sharply, ready to jump to his feet and his hand already reaching for his spear.

"Nothing," Ria answered and Isaac relaxed. "Look, I'm sorry you had to see me like that. I'm not really a crier, usually."

"It's quite alright," he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "That many wounds must have hurt. The pain was bound to catch up to you eventually."

Her eyes widened. He thought she was crying because her wounds hurt? She growled lightly and smacked him across the arm, causing him to cry out in shock.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

"I wasn't crying because of my wounds!" Ria hissed. "I was crying because…"

She paused, not quite sure how to form her next statement. Isaac rubbed the spot where she had hit him and arched a brow at her.

"Then what were you crying at?"

With a deep breath, Ria caught Isaac up on all that had happened since he had last visited her. He looked extremely interested in the bits about Sara and kept urging her to give him more details on her existence, which she couldn't really do, providing that she didn't know too much about it herself. Then again, she reflected as she finished up the story, maybe that was a good thing.

"So, I screamed at them to get out and work it out. That I couldn't deal with them right now," she finished, sighing.

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," Isaac commented lightly.

Ria felt her face flush. "About that…Isaac, I've been thinking it over. I know why you kept it from me. You did it so that I would still have the extra help, I'm sure…and, although I'm still not happy that you did it, I'm not mad at you. And I'm sorry that I yelled at you to leave. I honestly didn't mean it."

He grinned, shrugging. "I figured you would…what's the phrase now?...get over it."

Ria smiled.

"Really? Well, I guess you were right," she said, pausing after a moment. She looked back at the door, expecting Sara and Dracula any moment, and continued when they did not emerge. "So, is my mother okay? She's safe, right?"

Isaac nodded. "Yes. She's very worried about you, as much as you are worried about her, I dare say. Walter grows ever more impatient. Time is becoming of the essence."

Ria groaned, closing her eyes. When she reopened them, Isaac had that almost concerned look on his face again.

"Let's change the subject," he said matter-of-factly.

She nodded, throwing her eyes about the room as if the new subject would just come to her, but instead found herself frequently bombarded with images of her mother either in intense pain or dead. She closed her eyes, briefly, and tried to block them out. Isaac stared at her intently, expectantly, and she was becoming uneasy with the attention. Her eyes found the door again, still waiting for the return of the vampire and the ghost. When neither appeared, she groaned. She hoped that Sara and Dracula weren't yelling _too_ much at one another. Of course, Ria reflected, any yelling did to Dracula he deserved to receive in tenfold. After all, he had done so many terrible things to her, not to mention every other Belmont and random bystander in between.

With this thought, the new subject came to her. She turned her gaze on Isaac, who blinked with quiet surprise to find his intense stare suddenly returned.

"You're really loyal to him, aren't you?" she asked.

"Who? Surely you don't mean Walter," he sneered.

She gave a short, hollow laugh. "No. You know who I mean."

She wanted to avoid using Dracula's name, in case it incited Isaac's bond with Walter.

"Yes, of course I am. My Master has given me many gifts. He's given me the ability to heal as a vampire heals, as well as some of the senses of vampires, like smell."

Ria shook her head sadly, recalling the story of Isaac she had read within the Belmont journals. More specifically, she recalled the end of the tale, Isaac's demise. Her face downturned, she wrapped her arms about herself.

"How can you be so loyal? He isolated you from your family…your sister, didn't he? He _used_ you, literally, in his resurrection. I don't understand your faith in him," she hissed, her voice growing harsher as she spoke.

Isaac raised a brow at her. Ria's face was flushed with the hatred she felt coursing through her veins for the vampire king, towards his deception, and every word she spoke about him was dripping with venom.

"I wanted power, Adriana. Julia and I had a hard childhood, due to our family's unusual ways, and we had to fight for everything we had. All my life, all I've ever wanted was the power to rise above my past. My sister was a natural at magics, powerful without much effort, giving her more authority over me even though she was younger. I served her, in a way, for many years when I was still a child myself, always at her heels, trying to learn as much as possible from her. It was not long before I discovered the blacker arts and gained some notoriety for myself among worshipers of evil. Once Lord Dracula had heard of me, he offered me a quicker way to what he said would be more power. I wanted to be in control, but I was still second to another devil forgemaster, named Hector, and all are second or less to Dracula himself. I have power, but I'm still not in control. Perhaps I never will be," he said, reclining back on the floor.

"You know something? I used to feel the same way," Ria said.

"Do tell."

And he sounded genuinely surprised.

"I felt powerless my whole life, never more than when my father was sick and dying. Powerless among my peers, my parents, everyone. I felt lost in the world. I wanted so much to be powerful, to be strong enough to handle it all, to be noticed. But you know what?"

"What?"

Ria laughed bitterly. "I have power now, and I don't want it so much anymore."

Isaac laughed, and even Ria found herself chuckling mirthlessly at herself.

"Perhaps that's the way it should be," he said thoughtfully after he had done away with his laughter.

Ria shrugged and said nothing. She looked again to the doors of the room, waiting for the others to return. Still, no arrivals. Isaac sighed deeply and stood, stretching.

"I should return before your guest does," he said.

Ria blinked and leapt to her feet. She grabbed him by the arm, lightly tugging on the sleeve of his black shirt. His face filled with much surprise.

"Don't go yet," she said.

He narrowed his eyes at her, questioning what had brought this reaction on. Ria let go and crossed her arms in front of herself once more.

"Isaac," she began, trailing off for a moment, trying to find her words. Isaac waited patiently, watching her face as if he could read her thoughts from her eyes. With a deep breath, she continued, "Isaac…you've only lied to me once. That's much less than most the other people I know. My mother lied to me, your master lied to me, and, well, Sara hasn't lied to me, but that's not my point."

"What is your point, Adriana?" Isaac asked, confusion all over his features.

"My point is…your master had an idea, concerning you and me, but he and Sara got into a fight before I could learn any more about it. So, I'm going to put the idea before you and ask you what pros and cons of it are."

He arched a brow. "Pros and cons?"

Ria let out a small aggravated sigh. "Positives and negatives of it."

Isaac mouthed an "oh" and gestured for her to carry on.

"He suggested you and I make a blood bond, but I don't know what good that would do…or what bad that would do, as the case may be. So…tell me all about it. I know I shouldn't trust you, but…right now, you're the only one that has lied to me, but has had a good reason for it."

"That doesn't make any sense," Isaac said.

"The blood bonding?"

"No, your logic."

Ria smacked him across the arm again. He sighed, rubbing the spot lightly.

"A blood bond between us might do more good than bad, truth be told. To counter Walter's in any way, you would have to be the master in the bond, like Walter was with our bond. Now, he's much older and more powerful than you, so if we were, say, in the same room with him and the both of you gave me an order…Walter's order would more than likely surpass yours. Other than that, I can think of nothing else. I can see no real negatives about the situation."

Ria nodded, taking it in. It made sense, she reasoned. No faults whatsoever.

"How do you do it?" she asked.

Isaac shrugged. "It's a blood bond, Adriana. How do you think it's done?"

Ria narrowed her eyes. She was in no mood to appreciate sarcasm. He grinned his serpentine grin again, and she couldn't help but return it as a sneer.

"We exchange blood, right? What else?" she snapped.

Isaac put a finger in the air and shook it, and Ria stared at him questioningly.

"Not exactly an exchange. In fact, since you would be the master of our bond, I would drink of your blood as you speak an incantation. It'll be different than the way Walter bonded me. He simply combined the resurrection spell with the bond, eliminating the actual incantation," Isaac said, pausing thoughtfully.

"Okay…" Ria drew out.

"Tell me, do you know Latin?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Isaac, I'm barely trained to fight vampires. Do you really think that I do?"

"I was simply asking."

"It was a stupid question."

"No such thing."

"Really? What if I just suddenly asked you, while looking right at you, what color your hair was?"

Isaac opened his mouth to respond, but paused. He seemed deep in thought, trying his best to come up with a retort while Ria grinned triumphantly the whole while. Finally, he sighed in aggravation.

"We're off subject. For the incantation to work, it must be spoken in its original Latin. I could tell it to you, you could repeat it, and I would drink from you as you repeated it."

"Is it difficult?" she asked. "Because I tried to take Russian in school and failed. Epically."

Isaac blinked, a look on his face like he was trying to learn a new language himself. Finally, he shook his head.

"No, it's not difficult, nor is it long. Now, you would have to make a cut on yourself…it doesn't matter where. You're shorter than I am, so I, personally, ask that it is someplace…ahem…comfortable for me."

He was smirking again. Ria hit him again, hard. She growled a little when she replied, "I'll probably just use my forearm, stupid."

The smack she had given him—again, across the arm—had not wiped neither the smirk from his face…nor the innuendo from his voice.

"I was simply saying…"

"I _know_ what you were saying, Isaac…"

He grinned. "Very well. That's all it should take. What are your feelings on this matter now?"

A good question. Ria had concentrated her last few moments around learning the hows, that she had forgotten to take into account the whys. She blinked a few times, drawing a mental blank.

"I don't know…what about you? Would you do it?" she asked.

"You really care if I care?"

There was that genuine surprise again. She nodded in earnest.

"Then yes, Adriana. I would blood bond with you…and probably find you a better master than Walter."

It wasn't much of a compliment…but it was still a compliment. Ria grinned, finding her face turning a tad pink. Isaac glanced away, seeming not to notice. Finally, Ria nodded and pulled the dagger on her belt free from its sheath.

"Let's do it," she said.

No sooner had the words left her mouth, Sara re-entered the room. She blinked, staring between the two of them. Finally, her eyes rested on her pupil.

"Do what, pray tell?" she asked.

Ria blinked, starting a little at her sudden reappearance.

"I'm going to blood bond with Isaac," she said.

In a very comical move, Isaac turned to look behind himself, only to peer down upon Ria like he had missed something. Ria raised a brow at him, confused for a moment, then laughed once.

"Sara's in the room," she explained.

"Really?" Isaac asked, turning as if he could see her.

"Yes, really," Sara said, moving past Isaac to stand firmly in front of Ria.

"Can you see her?" Ria asked him.

He shook his head. She shrugged.

"You're not blood bonding with him, Ria. You don't know what it'll do," Sara said.

"Yes I do, Sara. Isaac told me."

"And you believed him? He has lied to you before!"

Sara seemed to be getting upset again. Ria sighed.

"Oh, Sara, I just went through that with him…I really don't want to repeat all of it," she groaned. "I'm doing this because I trust that he's told me the truth about it."

"No."

The whip-bound woman seemed moments away from girlishly stamping her foot on the ground. Isaac, meanwhile, seemed fascinated by this exchange. He must have been trying to figure out Sara's side of the conversation. He was staring so intently at the spot where he thought she was, it was almost like he was trying to will himself the ability to hear her.

"Sara, you've trained me well, and I'm really sorry I yelled at you…But I've got to make some of these decisions on my own, don't I? And I'm choosing to do this. Please," Ria said, her voice calm and even.

Sara stared at her, searching her eyes. Then, with a small, sad smile, she nodded.

"You're right. Of course you are…just…be careful, Ria…"

With that, she stepped to the side, eyes on the dagger still clutched in Ria's hand. Ria smiled up at Isaac.

"I convinced her," she summed up.

He nodded. "Shall we begin?"

The first few minutes were spent teaching Ria the incantation, which Isaac assured her was only ten or so words long. To someone unable to speak the language, Ria felt like she was reciting the Declaration of Independence…only in Latin. Finally, after tripping over the words about twenty times, Isaac declared her ready. She nodded, keeping the incantation going around and around in her mind.

"Begin speaking the words, Adriana, as you make the cut," he said.

Her hand was shaking. She had forgotten one important factor to this spell. The cut. It was going to hurt. And she wasn't a fan of pain. But with a big gulp, she put the tip of the dagger to her mid-forearm and began reciting the incantation. She was midway through the spell, fighting against crying out or hissing in pain, when she completed the cut. She brought her arm up, close now to the end of the spell, as Isaac bent slightly at the waist, putting his lips to the thick, crimson line that had formed. As she felt him begin to lightly suck at it, she completed the spell.

And gasped. She felt Isaac's grip tighten around her arms, and felt her own, free hand squeeze his shoulder—where she had placed it to keep balance. The hand attached to the currently occupied arm was balled into a ghostly white fist. Her body began to shake, just as Isaac's began to do the same. Then, a familiar feeling shot through her…The jolt that had shook Isaac and Ria, both, when they had had their first confrontation shot through them again. Isaac was groaning against her arm while Ria was now openly crying out from the shock. Their bodies shuddered so violently that it was all they could do to remain on their feet.

"Ria! Oh, Ria, let go!" Sara yelled.

But Ria wasn't really holding on…and neither was Isaac, but the two simply could not part. Finally, both with a final gasp, they fell apart, crashing to floor gasping for air. Sara ran to Ria's side.

"Ria? Ria!" she cried.

Both Isaac and Ria were moving, breathing, but neither could find their voice to speak. Finally, they managed to sit up. Sara sighed, pressing a hand over her heart.

"You scared me! I thought you were…" but the ghost let the sentence hang.

Ria locked eyes with Isaac.

"You didn't mention that it would feel like that!" she hissed.

He shook his head. "That wasn't the blood bond, Ria. I have no idea what that was."

She blinked. Then, with a sigh, she lay back, closing her eyes.

"Ria!" Sara yelled again.

"Ssh," Ria said. "I'm just gonna rest my eyes for a minute."

* * *

End Notes: Wow, that was an uber-chapter. I knew it was going to be long…but truly, this length surprised me. Now, it might interest you all to know that, not including this chapter, there are only five more updates left for this story. We're winding down, folks! On that note, there will be a sequel, and I plan to post the prologue to Trials—the sequel—ASAP after the last chapter of this one…depending on my internet availability. My summer job is winding down, and the second one I had lined up is in the air. However, I am moving into an apartment at the end of this month, so I hope to have internet set up there soon. Finally, I just want to say that I'm calling this series the Untested Saga, meaning I want at least four fics in this series. I have a third one planned after Trials, but it is currently untitled…Thanks for reading, please review!


	23. Bound and Gagged

A/N- And the countdown continues! Not including this one, only four more updates to go! Oh, and my kudos to Slinky_And_The_BloodyWands for naming this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 22- Bound and Gagged

Ria heard Isaac and Sara both sigh. She, for her part, was still lying on the stone floor—which was comfortably cool—with her eyes closed. She wasn't sleeping, but it just felt so good to pretend that she was. Finally, she felt a pair of hands shake her. With a groan, she opened her eyes to find Isaac staring down at her.

"We need to make sure the bond worked," he said, standing.

He held out a hand, and Ria took it, allowing the devil forger to pull her to her feet. She dusted her clothes off and nodded.

"So, I just give you an order?" she asked.

He nodded. Ria pursed her lips, trying to think of an order she could give that they could test. Sara looked between the two and groaned. Crossing her arms in front of her, she gave her head an aggravated shake.

"Why don't you just order him not to attack and kill Dracula?" she said.

Ria grinned sheepishly. "That only makes a whole world of sense. Good idea."

"And an obvious one," Sara snipped.

Ria rolled her eyes, turning back to Isaac. Isaac was staring at the spot where he thought Sara was, only with a stranger look on his face than the last time he had tried to see her. Ria arched a brow at him.

"What is it?"

He turned his eyes to her for a moment, only to put them back at the exact spot where Sara was standing.

"This is going to sound strange, I think," he said.

"What doesn't in this place?"

Isaac nodded once. "Given. Tell me, is that where Sara is standing?"

He pointed directly at the ghostly woman.

"Can you see me?" Sara asked.

He didn't answer, instead staring now at Ria. Ria nodded.

"Can you see her?" she voiced her ghostly friend's question aloud.

"Could you ask her to move somewhere else in the room, anywhere?" he asked.

"I can hear you, you know," Sara drawled, moving to stand directly on Isaac's left.

"She can hear you, even if you can't hear or see her, you know. She's moved. Why did you want her to move?" Ria asked.

"She's on my left, isn't she, Ria?"

Ria's eyes widened as she nodded. Isaac nodded slowly, taking a small, half-step to his right. Sara scoffed.

"I'm not a disease or anything," she hissed.

Ria thought it best not to relay that one. Instead, she stared at Isaac, willing him to answer.

"You know that feeling you get when you can feel someone standing behind you or beside you, even if you can't see them? Like when you're looking the other way?" Isaac asked.

Ria nodded.

"I can feel Sara like that. It feels like she's there, even though I can't see her."

"Weird," Ria drew out. "Does that mean the bond worked?"

"We still need a more solid test," Isaac responded.

"Sara came up with a good one. Isaac, I order you to not attack or kill Dracula…I also order you to not follow his orders...unless they are for the greater good of my mother or myself."

"That's not overly complicated at all," Sara muttered.

Isaac blinked at her. Apparently, he, like Ria, had not thought of this either. The two stood, staring at one another for a few moments, before Ria flapped her arms in a half-way I-don't-know move.

"What now?" she asked.

"Dracula would have to enter the room for us to test this order of yours," he said, drawling out "of yours."

"Wait! Did you feel anything like anger or anything when you said his name? Like you had to hunt him?"

Isaac shook his head. Ria smiled.

"That's a good sign, right?" Ria asked. Before Isaac answered, she turned to Sara and added, "Where is Dracula? Wasn't he with you?"

She nodded. "Yes, but he sensed Isaac in the room with you and thought it best that he wait outside. If you call for him, he'll probably hear you."

Ria turned towards the door behind Isaac. "Dracula! Dracula, I think it might be safe for you to enter the room!"

A moment later, the vampire appeared in a huff. With a theatric whirl of his cape, he sniffed the air lightly.

"I am _never_ in danger from the likes of him," he said, indicating Isaac, who had a strange look on his face. It wasn't quite anger—which Ria thought it should have been after that snipe—but it wasn't quite reverence either.

"Whatever," she snapped, turning to Isaac. "Do you feel the need to attack him?"

The crimson-haired man shook his head. Dracula grinned, triumphantly.

"You did the bond, did you?" he asked, though it was still not quite a question.

"Obviously. My first, and standing, order was for him not to attack you…or to follow your orders unless it benefited my mother and myself. So don't get too cocky, _Drac_," Ria sneered while Dracula released a soft growl.

"Well, at least this proves that I was in the right. The lot of you ought to listen to me more often, shouldn't you?" he smirked.

Sara growled—not so softly—and actually stamped her foot. She strode forward, shoving a finger into Dracula's face.

"You pompous ass!" she yelled, and Dracula blinked in surprise.

Ria fought the surprised look bubbling to the surface. Sara's dainty voice really wasn't made for swearing, and Ria was sure she would never get used to hearing her friend curse. She then had to fight down the laugher she felt climbing up her throat. She eyed Isaac, who only seemed mildly surprised to see Sara.

"Whoa," he muttered, and Ria let out a tiny snort.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, my dear," he said, looking her right in the eye.

Sara pursed her lips and stepped back a pace or two. She looked abruptly to her right, trying to will the anger from her voice. When she looked back at the vampire king, the hatred of him was only slightly gone from her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying to be civil, and that wasn't very civil of me," she said.

"Apology accepted," Dracula grinned.

"I wasn't addressing _you_. I was talking to Ria."

Ria laughed. "No problem. Let's just not let the hatred get in the way of why we're here, okay?"

Sara nodded, smiling at her. Isaac's gaze was glued to Sara, watching her every movement. He opened his mouth several times, like he was about to say something, only to close it after a few moments. Finally, he said, "Sara."

Sara huffed. "Do not address me like you know me."

He blinked, confusion in his eyes. Ria was sure that he was thinking the same thing that she was. If he couldn't call her "Sara," what could he call her? Miss Trantoul? Ria shook her head, moving to stand in the middle of her three companions.

"I say we've wasted enough time in this room. Let's move on, shall we?" she asked, turning to Isaac.

"Finally, something I can really agree with," Dracula snipped. Ria ignored him.

"I will travel with you," Isaac said, answering Ria's unvoiced question.

"But…" and she let the sentence hang. Isaac smiled knowingly.

"My devils are more than capable of protecting your mother until we arrive. We're quite close to the coliseum, I believe," he said.

"Really? We're close?" Ria said, her heart lifting and falling all at the same time.

Close meant closer to saving her mother. Close also meant closer to facing Walter. And Ria was still pretty sure she wasn't quite ready to face off with the monster that had taken Sophy. Isaac nodded, but Dracula cut him off as he began to elaborate.

"We go upward. The way I'm assuming Isaac came to you, Adriana," he said, pointing up at the open passage.

"You know what they say about people who assume," Sara muttered.

Ria burst out laughing, causing both Isaac and Dracula to stare.

"What?" she asked. "Can't you see Sara anymore?"

Both shook their heads. Ria shrugged. "Okay. It wasn't important anyway."

Now Sara was laughing and Ria was trying to stop her giggles. They were pretty much over after she looked up and finally registered the distance between the stone landing and the floor on which she stood. She groaned. She had barely managed the platforms, and now this. The platform was well over her height…and over the height of most of those with her. But most of her companions had some sort of supernatural ability in their movement. She looked to Dracula.

"How in the hell am I getting up there? I'm not a monkey," she said.

"Can't you use your whip to get up there?" Dracula asked.

Ria rolled her eyes. "Nor am I Indiana Jones."

She knew that none of her companions knew of whom she was talking about, but she wasn't going explain. Dracula stared at her questioningly, as did Sara, but Isaac simply shook his head.

"If you get onto my back, I can teleport up to the ledge," he said.

Ria fought a blush that she couldn't explain and furrowed her brow, eyeing the horrid Chauve-Souris strapped to his back.

"Your spear…wouldn't it be in the way?" she asked.

"No, not really."

She eyed the ugly weapon with disgust written all over her face. Even just staring at it, Ria could almost hear the screams of all the innocents whose blood had forged it. She could see their faces, almost blank and drone-like, somehow still twisting and distorting with fear…like looking at people through a funhouse mirror. She shuddered.

"What's wrong?" Isaac asked as Sara approached Ria and put an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't want to touch that thing," Ria said, pointing to the weapon.

Isaac looked rather hurt by that remark, and Ria felt a little bad about having said it. But she wasn't going to lie. That weapon, to her, was an abomination. She wanted nothing to do with it. Isaac removed the spear from his back, muttered one strange word, and it vanished. Ria let out a little gasp of shock.

"What did you do with it?" she asked.

"I put it away. I'll retrieve it once I'm able to again," he said, putting his back to her. "Climb on."

Ria paused, waiting for some innuendo to follow. When none came, she stepped forward, awkwardly placing her hands on each of his shoulders. She paused, not quite sure what her next move should be.

"Well?" Isaac asked.

"Um…what do I do now? Do I hop up or something?"

"Oh, my…my son had this down by the time he was five!" Dracula snapped.

"Really? Is that the son you impersonated to get close to me? The one who's fought against you, like, three times now? The one who seems to just hate you?" Ria hissed back.

Dracula huffed but said nothing. Isaac shook his head.

"Yes, I'll lean down so you can reach, and you hop and put your legs around my waist," he said.

Ria nodded. Isaac did as he said he would and Ria hopped, nearly missing her mark. However, Isaac wrapped his arms around her legs just as she was about to slip off and caught her. Ria blushed again.

"The last time I did this, I was a lot younger and my father was alive," she said.

No one replied to that. Instead, Isaac cleared his throat and asked if she was ready to teleport. She did a quick check of herself, noting that she had indeed put her backpack purse back onto her back—she had no real memory of having done so—and that her whip and dagger were in place.

"Ready," she affirmed.

In a blink, she was on the ledge, and Isaac was placing her on her feet. She hadn't felt a thing. She looked down just as Dracula leapt up to join them. Sara was already with them.

"That was so strange. It didn't feel like…like anything," she murmured.

Isaac smiled. "Teleporting is easy once you master it. And mastering it means eliminating all the nasty feelings you can feel when you are just beginning to learn it."

Ria nodded. Dracula said nothing as he turned and led the way upward. The group found themselves in a hall of plain stone that was uninhabited. It was not long before they arrived at yet another wooden door. Dracula put a hand on the metal knob that looked more like a knocker and grinned arrogantly back at the rest of the group.

"Through this door is my _former_ servant's, Orlox's, personal quarters. They are quite large, but the door we want is not far inside the area. In fact, all we must do is pass through a couple of halls and a staircase. Orlox is paranoid, so there will be creatures as soon as we enter," he said, pulling on the door.

"But—" Isaac began but stopped as Dracula rushed on ahead.

Ria looked up at him, arching a brow. However, Isaac did not continue nor seem to even notice. Sara and Ria exchanged a look of wondering, both simply shrugging as Isaac walked after Dracula. Ria lost no time in following, shutting the door behind them.

They passed through the typical dividing hall, as Ria had taken to calling them, colored by regal greens and blues with an arched ceiling. She watched as Dracula opened the door at the other end and stop, only to have Isaac collide with him. The other side of the door must have been very interesting, since Dracula seemed to have taken no notice of the collision. Ria glanced around to find the vampire king blocking the doorway, staring into the room beyond.

"This isn't right…" he muttered.

"I tried to mention it," Isaac said lazily. "Walter added a small section between the Gallery and Orlox's quarters. He filled it with creatures as well, no doubt."

Dracula whirled on the forgemaster. "Why did he do that?"

"It's all a part of his game for Adriana. He thought it would be more fun to send her through a heavily monster-infested region so close to her mother's whereabouts."

"Oh, yeah, that's a riot," Ria hissed.

"Nothing we can't handle, I'm sure," Sara said to her, although she herself did not sound convinced of this.

"What's it look like? I can't even see!" Ria snapped, pushing her way to the front and looking past Dracula.

What she saw beyond made her blanch and want to vomit. The entire room was made of gray, rough stonework. At the center of the room was a giant staircase—really, the only thing in the room—that reached skywards until, finally, it appeared to level off. The room itself was unornamented, and colder than most the other rooms had been. But it was not the staircase that had made Ria's face drain of all color. It was what occupied almost every stair upward.

Gaibons and slogras, alternating every other step, stood ready for their approach. She heard, from behind her, Isaac mutter another strange word. When she glanced behind, she saw that his spear had reappeared and it was in his hand.

"Oh my," Sara muttered.

"This…does not look like fun," Ria said.

She soon felt eyes upon her. When she glanced back at her companions, Dracula was staring at her with a bemused look on his features, while Isaac and Sara looked as if she had just said something utterly ridiculous.

"What?" she asked.

"What part of this, exactly, has been fun before now?" Dracula asked.

Ria blinked, then rolled her eyes. "It was an expression. Now, how are we going about this?"

She gestured to the gaibons and slogras, who had—thankfully—not yet noticed their presence. Dracula withdrew the sword he had somehow gained from within the folds of his cape, while Isaac poised his Chauve-Souris for attack. Ria sighed.

"I was afraid of that answer," she said, putting the Vampire Killer in one hand and her dagger in the other.

The group charged into the room, rousing the monsters almost into a frenzy. The first three monsters—two slogras and a gaibon—had been taken by surprise, and Ria, Isaac, and Dracula slew them easily. The others, however, learned quickly from their kin's mistake. Dracula had taken it upon himself to handle any and every gaibon that charged towards them, leaping into the air and slicing piece after piece off of them…sometimes managing to slice the blue demons right in two. Isaac had placed himself in front of Ria, taking down anything that dared attack her over the others. Somewhere at the back of her mind, Ria wondered if this defensive feeling he seemed to have taken was a side effect of the blood bond…then again, Isaac had a blood bond with Walter, and he felt no need to defend him. Maybe he just wanted to ensure that his interests made it safe and sound to defeating Walter.

Ria dodged an attacking slogra that had slipped past Isaac. She lashed out with the whip, knocking the monster's spear from its bony claws. She smiled, proud of herself, and ducked as the slogra began to swipe at her with it claws. She kicked out at its legs, managing on her third kick—how had she ever gotten as far as three was beyond her—to break the right leg, sending it flailing to the ground. She used the Vampire Killer and took its head, moving on.

There were no breaks between each battle as the group pushed itself onward and upward, and weariness was beginning to take over Ria's limbs. Her legs were growing wobbly and her hits with the whip were weakening. Noticing this, Isaac fell back to stand directly in front of her.

"Stick close," he said, stabbing a swooping gaibon through heart. It dropped like a bag of rocks and burst into flames.

"I'm okay!" Ria insisted, puffing out the words as she struck down a gaibon. She watched as Dracula took its head.

"You're tired, Adriana, and we're just now nearly halfway up this staircase. Stick close, let me take the force of these creatures while you rest for a little bit," Isaac said.

She wanted to argue, to tell him that she could keep going. But in truth, she didn't have the breath to. Instead, she growled, as much of one as she could muster, and nodded. The progress they had been making slowed with one of the team taking a break, but they kept moving on, nonetheless.

The fight and the monsters seemed to last forever, all the while Ria feeling stupidly helpless. Finally, she glanced up and saw the landing. She felt a swell of strength and stepped out from behind Isaac's protective back. In one swing, she managed to take the heads of two slogras, sending them into flames. However, she had missed the approaching gaibon, whose claws dug into her shoulders and lifted her off the ground.

She cried out in pain as she felt her own, hot blood flow down her arms. She kicked the air in vain, unable to raise either of her arms to attack.

"Ria!" Sara cried out.

Isaac had seen the gaibon grab her. With a snarl, he leapt into the air, swinging his spear upwards. The weapon connected, and the monster let go as the flames of death began to consume it. Isaac landed in a crouch on the staircase, catching Ria easily. She moaned in pain, closing her eyes. She didn't want to run the chance of seeing the wounds on her shoulders. She had never been particularly squeamish, but she had felt how deep the creatures claws had gone. She didn't think she could stand seeing such a wound, especially on herself.

"Adriana?" Isaac's voice sounded worried.

She blinked open her eyes and nodded. "I'm fine…just in pain."

Isaac nodded once, then looked up and found Dracula busy slicing more monsters to pieces.

"How close are we to having the monsters cleared?" he yelled to vampire.

Dracula sliced another gaibon in half and crushed—actually _crushed_—a slogra into near dust. He looked up and appeared to be taking a quick count.

"Six more monsters, up ahead, but there is a clearing through them, if you hurry," Dracula shouted back.

"Keep them busy, then. I have to heal Adriana!" Isaac said.

Isaac dashed through the tiny opening in the monsters, taking a couple of small wounds himself. However, he made it to the landing, where he laid Ria gently on the ground. She hissed when her shoulders made contact with the cold stone.

"Stay with me," Isaac said.

"I'm here," she groaned.

She felt dizzy with the blood loss and intense pain, but she didn't feel like she was dying or anything. Unless dizzy and in intense pain was a symptom of death…in that case, she was in some deep trouble.

"Ria! Ria, I'm here," Sara said, bending over her. The ghost woman turned to the forgemaster, her eyes wide in panic, "Heal her, Isaac! Heal her!"

"That's what I'm trying to do," he said, nothing in his voice to portray that he was surprised to hear or see Sara again.

He put each hand over each one of Ria's shoulders, muttering in another language. Ria groaned and hissed, her wounds suddenly feeling hot. Sara was whispering soothing things to her, while in the distance she could hear Dracula finishing up the monsters. A few moments and a little bit more pain later, Ria suddenly felt just fine. Isaac sat back as Dracula approached, not a speck of blood or guts on him. Isaac looked somewhat tired, like he had just got done lifting something really, really heavy, while Dracula looked…pumped. Ria almost expected the vampire king to start begging to do it again.

"I couldn't get rid of the scars, but everything else should be fine," Isaac finally managed to say. "How do you feel?"

"Great, actually. Not even tired anymore," she said.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Isaac said, jumping to his feet suddenly.

Ria started and blinked up at him. Even Sara and Dracula looked a tad bit confused.

"What are you talking about?" Ria asked, pushing herself to her feet.

"I told you to stay behind me!"

Ria grinned sheepishly. "Actually, if we want to get technical, you just said to stick close…nothing about staying behind you."

But Isaac seemed in no mood to brush this off with a grin. "You could have gotten yourself killed! You were exhausted, and, in being so, no match for those monsters!"

Ria knew her face had to be red, and it had nothing to do with embarrassment.

"I felt fine after a little while. I just didn't see the gaibon," she hissed.

"Because you were tired!"

"And why do you care? What, afraid that your precious Dracula won't make it back to his throne without me? Well, don't worry your little head, Isaac. I'm just fine now, thank you very much!"

Isaac's eyes widened, while Ria crossed her arms and looked away from him. There was silence for a moment. Finally, Dracula cleared his throat.

"If I could direct everyone's attention to the door in front of us," he said, gesturing forward.

The group turned and collectively groaned. The door was bright red, glowing, and had a very large skull on it. Ria rolled her eyes.

"What now?"

"I can't say for certain, but in my castle, a door like that always leads to something exceptionally bad," Dracula said.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Ria said, bowing comically and gesturing Isaac and Dracula to go ahead. "After you."

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so there was a good deal more fighting in this chapter than I thought, so I've taken two parts off the end of it, and I'm moving them to the beginning of the next chapter. Which is good, because I think I'll need to rename the next one. I wasn't too crazy about its original title. Well, I hope you enjoyed! See you next chapter!


	24. Goals

A/N- Three more updates to go! And it might make you laugh to know that I finally learned how to spell "Chauve-Souris" without having to look it up, haha. Also, I make a mention of the Innocence Devils later in this chapter…and I know there is one more type than the number I give. But I just didn't feature the Pumpkin being very useful to the scene at hand.

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Chapter 23- Goals

Isaac and Ria were careful not to make eye-contact with one another as they both moved to stand in front of the glowing crimson door. Sara stood just behind Ria, while Dracula had taken up the position right in front of the doorknob, his hand poised to turn it. He looked over at Ria and the forgemaster with a brow arched at the way each were utterly occupied with _determinately_ not looking at the other in a way that was terribly obvious.

"Are we all quite ready for this? There's no way of knowing what lies beyond this door. We need to be focused," Dracula said.

Both Isaac and Ria snapped back that they were "quite ready." Behind her, Ria heard Sara sigh. She didn't need to turn around to imagine that the ghost woman was probably shaking her head or rolling her eyes as well. Ria gripped her whip in hand and turned to the vampire king.

"Well? Let's go!" she hissed.

With a curt nod, Dracula gave the doorknob a rough twist and shoved it open. The group flooded inside as the door slammed such behind them. Ria, alone, had jumped at the noise. The rest of her companions pretended not to notice her reaction. Instead, they all looked straight on, focused, at the room before them.

It was cavernous and holey.

Large holes, too dark to see what was inside of them, were placed randomly along the top and bottom of the cave-like room. Isaac stiffened, his hand tightening on the Chauve-Souris. His eyes were darting between each hole, his expression set in a slight snarl.

"I don't like the looks of this," he hissed to no one in particular.

"I second that," Sara murmured, and Ria was sure that only she had heard that.

As one, the group took precisely two steps forward before they stopped again, poised and ready for attack. Ria now found herself staring from hole to hole. She was making a second round when her eyes stopped on the hole right in front of them, closest to the ceiling. She fought against doing a Scooby-Doo-style gulp. Her hands were beginning to ache, she was holding onto the Vampire Killer so tightly—she had sheathed her dagger moments before entering.

"There," she whispered, unable to make her voice go any higher.

She pointed at the hole her eyes had locked on. Emanating from it was a slow and steady hiss, not unlike that of a snake. But it was so much louder than a snake one might encounter in their front yard. Typically, Ria wasn't afraid of snakes. Spiders, parasites, and really big dogs, yes, but she had always been okay with snakes. She had even held one once at a zoo exhibit. But this snake, as Ria was now sure the creature in the hole must be, seemed a hell of a lot bigger than any snake that the majority of humanity knew of.

"Snake," Dracula said, matter-of-factly.

Even Isaac stared at him as if to say, "Well…_yeah_." The devil forgemaster opened his mouth to actually voice a response when the unmistakable sound—well, unmistakable to anyone who had ever encountered a snake anywhere or had ever seen a snake-related film—of scales against stone came from the hole. The snake was slithering out.

Ria quickly shielded her eyes as Dracula said, "It's giant."

"Is it a basilisk?" Ria asked, her eyes still shut.

"How do you, someone so new to this, know about basilisks?" Isaac asked.

"_Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_. The giant spiders were terrifying," she responded.

Ria had still not unshielded her eyes, but she could imagine Isaac raising a brow as he asked, "Who's Harry Potter? And what is the Chamber of Secrets?"

"A children's book that was made into a movie. It was quite good, actually. I caught it one night on a television channel called ABC Family," Dracula explained, before adding, "And, no, it's not a basilisk. It's just your typical magically enhanced snake."

Ria opened her eyes just as the snake went from one hole to another, catching a glimpse of its dark green, scaly body and rattle-less tail as it disappeared once more. She glared up at Dracula.

"_Typical_?" she growled.

He shrugged. Isaac sighed.

"It's no matter. We're lucky that it doesn't seem to have taken notice of us yet. Perhaps we could just sneak our way around it?" the crimson-haired man whispered.

"And how do you propose we do that, Isaac?" Dracula said, doing a bit of hissing of his own. "Except for the snake's own holes, this room has a desperate lack in hiding spots."

Ria cast her eyes about the room once more, and, as much as she hated to admit it, Dracula was right. There wasn't even a boulder to be seen…which, as she thought about it, seemed strange in a room so…rocky.

"But I think we should try," she said, voicing the second part of her thought aloud.

"I agree. This snake might be out of our league," Sara said.

"Out of _my_ league, Sara?" Dracula smirked.

Ria found herself wishing that a bell or something would go off when she suddenly wasn't the only one able to see Sara anymore. And by the look on Sara's face—a rather sour, puckered look—she was wishing the same thing. Instead of replying, she simply diverted her eyes to the other side of the room. She gestured to a door that Ria had not noticed earlier. It was nestled neatly between two of the snake's holes.

"There. We need to get out that door," Sara said. "Fast."

"I agree," Isaac said.

"But how?" Sara asked, crossing her arms.

"And how, I ask again, do we propose to do so?" Dracula voiced. Apparently Sara had vanished from their sight again.

The whip-bound woman sighed. "I'm really getting tired of this."

"Me too," Ria replied. She waved off Isaac's and Dracula's questioning looks.

"We might just have to make a run for it," Isaac said, shrugging.

"Oh…I have _such_ a bad feeling about this," Ria groaned. "There's no other way?"

"Well, I'm not seeing any. Are you?" Isaac snapped at her.

She glared at him so hard that she was sure that he was going to burst into flames any minute now. When he didn't, she let out a deep, slow breath and shrugged.

"No. I guess not. But Snakey is sure to see us if we just dash along here," Ria noted.

"She's right, Isaac. If we run straight out, we hold no hope," Dracula said. "Perhaps we could try sliding ourselves along the walls?"

"And what about the giant holes?" Isaac asked.

"We avoid them as best as possible."

"But they're everywhere!"

"It's the only way, Isaac," Ria said gently, causing the crimson-haired to stare at her rather strangely.

He blinked once, obviously trying to drum up an argument. When he could think of none, he nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Dracula asked, stepping into the lead.

The other two—three, with Sara, although being a ghost often had its advantages, such as being in a situation like the present one—fell into a single file line behind the vampire king. They moved almost as one, Dracula taking a silent step, followed by Isaac's step, then Ria's, then Sara's. Ria was acutely aware of her own breath, as well as Isaac, being that they were the only two of the group that had breath. Ria tried holding her breath, but then that made Isaac's sound so loud to her that it seemed to pound inside her ears. So she released hers, only to shake with fear that the snake could hear her. Halfway across the room, the group froze. The slow slither of the snake about to emerge filled the cave-like room.

"What now?" Ria asked, trying to keep all the panic out of her voice.

Isaac withdrew the Chauve-Souris from his back and held it, ready to strike. She looked to Dracula, who had tensed. She groaned.

"Not again. Not this thing," she said, holding the Vampire Killer taunt.

It happened fast. The sound of movement stopped, and the group of mismatched companions held perfectly still, leaving the first move to the snake. They saw its open, void-like mouth first.

"It's striking!" Sara shouted as the group split down the middle, Ria and Sara to the left, and Isaac and Dracula to the right.

And strike it did. The snake slammed it open jaws into the rock where Ria and Isaac had stood only moments earlier. It withdrew and hissed, its mile-long, forked, red tongue flickering quickly as it drew itself back inside.

"We still have to make it to the door! We can't beat this thing!" Isaac shouted, his eyes locking with Ria's.

"Then we better hurry," Dracula said, pointing towards the exit.

Ria felt her heart speed up to triple its normal speed when she saw what it was that the vampire king was talking about. Over the door that would lead the group onward, a large, thick gray slab of rock was lowering, slowly, ready to block them inside with the monster snake. Ria gasped, but found herself cutting it short as the snake reared itself up to strike again.

"To the door, now!" Ria shouted, managing a roll that took her just underneath the snake as struck again.

Her eyes grew to the size of saucers as she saw acid-green venom issue down the rocks where the snake had sunk in its teeth. And it didn't help her shock or panic to watch it remove its fangs from the rock just as easily as it might have removed them from something the same consistency as a cotton ball. She rolled again as the snake slithered into another one of its holes, trying to move closer to its victims. The wall, she noticed, was closing a bit faster now. And Ria was still nowhere near close enough to the rest of her group.

Dracula shot a fireball at the snake as it moved to strike Ria from behind, and it roared—Ria did not know that snakes _could_ roar, but apparently magically enhanced, giant snakes did—and reared back, retreating momentarily into its new hidey-hole. Dracula then took his moment to duck through the nearly half-closed doorway. Isaac wasn't far behind the vampire king, but instead of disappearing beyond the doorway, he paused, turned, and held out a hand to Ria.

"Come on! Run, Adriana!" he shouted as the snake made its reappearance.

Ria arrived at Isaac just as the door made it pass its halfway mark. It was now only big enough for a single person to slide through. The crimson-haired devil forger tugged at Ria's arm, but she did not move. Sara stared at her.

"What are you doing?" she all but screeched at her trainee. "Follow him through the door!"

"There's not time," Ria said, so calmly that it surprised even her.

The door was closing faster still. Soon, no one would be able to fit through. Ria reached up, gripping Isaac by his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Isaac echoed Sara's question as Ria threw all her weight into him and shoved downward and forward.

Isaac slid under the wall, with a few inches to spare, and Ria saw the alarm in his eyes as she peeked under the door and shouted, "Take care of my mother! That's an order!"

And the stone wall slammed down as Isaac lay beyond, shouting Ria's name in vain.

……………………

Isaac and Dracula both stared at the wall, listening to the crashing of the snake slamming its body around in the room beyond, presumably striking over and over again at Ria. Isaac still found himself laying on the icy cold stone floor, unable to move or tear his eyes away from the wall barring Dracula and himself from the vampire hunter and her ghostly friend beyond.

Ria was dead. Surely she had to be. There was no way in this hell that she could survive something as purely strength driven as that snake. Not with the minimal amount of training the girl had had. And without Ria…Walter had won. Without her…Isaac was free of at least one blood bond.

The thought hit him like a ton of bricks. He looked up and saw Dracula, one of many of his masters, staring coldly at the stone wall. If the blood bond with Ria was now nullified…or if not now, then soon, whenever the snake…won…Walter's orders to destroy Dracula would take precedence once more. Isaac pushed himself to his feet, his eyes gluing themselves back to the stone wall.

"We're wasting time," Dracula said suddenly. "And that girl has foolishly thrown her life away for reasons that I cannot fathom. Come, Isaac. We must continue our way to Walter."

Dracula swept his cape around, ready to do just that. But Isaac did not move, a circle of light forming around him.

"I can't. I must…return to my charge…in case…"

But he said no more to Dracula, nor did he wait for the vampire king to respond. He simply let the light surround him…and take him away.

…………………

Sophy sat with her legs dangling out of the cage and her hands gripping its bars, unafraid of the strange creatures—Innocence Devils, Isaac had called them—surrounding her. She had already watched as they fought off several lesser creatures, destroying them so that they might protect her. There were five different types—as far as she could tell—and they had formed a circle around her cage, all facing away from her. She had grown accustomed to these creatures, because, to her, they meant only one thing: Isaac was away, aiding Ria. And to Sophy, that was all that mattered.

A sudden bright flash of light, and Isaac now stood before her. She quickly pulled her legs back within the cage and stood, eager to question him on her daughter's condition within this hellish castle. But once she saw his face, hers paled.

It was drawn tight, like someone who had done an immense amount of grieving and could do no more…yet there was still so much more to do. His eyes were downturned, away from hers, and they would not rise to meet hers, no matter how much she silently willed them to. With a wave of his hand—nonchalantly, but not quite like he didn't care…just more like he wasn't paying attention to the task at hand—his Innocence Devils vanished, and Sophy and he were left in the coliseum room alone.

"Isaac?" she questioned quietly.

Only then did his eyes meet hers. And there were no words…no words to describe the knowledge and the pain held within them. Sophy knew, without any further explanation, what had happened. She sank to the floor of her cage as Isaac put his back to her. She pressed a hand to her mouth, trying to hold in her grief.

"Oh…_Ria_…"

…………………

Ria was not dead. Of that, Dracula was certain. Foolish, and probably grievously injured, there would be no doubt. But dead…no, that little vampire hunter was alive. He could just _feel_ it. But he had no more time to waste on her. She had served her purpose, getting him this far within the castle. He required her assistance no more.

The exit from the little section of castle that Walter had added was not far away from where Dracula had left Ria to contend with the snake. He emerged inside of Orlox's personal quarters and had blasted his way through the skeleton guards positioned on the initial staircase in no time. Without that pitiful girl and the blood bound Isaac to hinder him, he could not make full use of his power…that that which he had left since having the Crimson Stone stolen from him. The lesser creatures of this castle held no worry for the vampire king.

The door leading to the coliseum from Orlox's spacious quarters was not guarded, as Dracula would have supposed it was going to be, and he entered the blood-scented, battle-powered section of Castlevania with no reservations. The circular center of the section, the middle of which housed the room in with Sophy—and thus Walter—would be in was only a couple of columns over. Dracula blew apart, literally, all the creatures—mostly more skeletons, with more advanced abilities—that fell into his path. In mere moments, he stood, grinning, outside the doors to his destination. With great relish, he threw them open and strode inside, his grin turning into a sneer as he found four pairs of eyes staring, widely, back at him.

* * *

End Notes: And…cliffhanger. Sorry for the long wait, guys. I just moved into my new apartment, and I haven't got internet as of yet. However, my last semester of college starts back soon and hopefully the whole internet issue will be then rectified. And since I have limited time on the internet until I have internet at the apartment, I'm behind in review replies. Rest assured, I'll get to them just as soon as time allows. Well, please review!

Random Thought: I've recently been playing CV: OoE, and my fiancé has been replaying LoI and CoD…and from watching both, I've noticed something…ever realized that there is ALWAYS a breeze in a Castlevania game, as of late? I mean, Leon, Hector, Shanoa…they can all be standing still in a place that probably shouldn't have a breeze…and there's a breeze. It's always windy in CV game…


	25. Out of Time

A/N-Two more updates to go! Hopefully, the suspense is building nicely. You'll also notice that I'm starting this chapter a little bit before the end of the last one, so I'd like to take this moment to say that I hope this runs smoothly for everyone.

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Chapter 24- Out of Time

**Ten Minutes before Dracula's Arrival…**

Sophy had finally given into her sobs, and the sound of it tore at Isaac's heart. He snarled, angry, but not at the girl's mother. His anger was only directed inward…for there were several questions circling his mind for which he had no solid answers. Damn his blood bond with the girl! Because of this, so much was confusing him.

If Ria was dead, then surely he was released from any duty she had ordered him to do. He would be gripped again by Walter's orders to destroy Dracula and the need to watch over Sophy would be, again, only in Walter's interest. But this would be the case anyway, being is such close proximity to him. As soon as Walter would arrive, he would hand over the sobbing woman for sacrifice. But…this isn't what it felt like. He was protecting Sophy because he wanted to…to keep the woman alive, safe. But…wouldn't that simply be the result of Ria's blood bond with him? Then, wouldn't that mean that the girl was still alive? Or could he possibly want to keep the woman safe…just so she would be safe?

No, the latter would be impossible. If he wanted Sophy safe, it was for his own reasons only. He wanted Walter kept off Castlevania's throne, that was all. But, when Isaac permitted himself a moment to dwell on this, it didn't feel quite right either. He was just so damned confused! But his time for dwelling on such matters drew to a close with a flash of crimson light. Even Sophy stopped sobbing as both Isaac and she turned to gaze at the spot where the light was.

Isaac's brow furrowed, only for a moment, as Walter and Orlox emerged. The red-haired vampire strode forward towards Isaac, who inclined his head for a moment, with his face set. Orlox didn't trail far behind, and Isaac didn't like the smug smile on his face.

"Shall I begin, milord?" the wizard-vampire asked with an elaborate bow.

Walter gestured for him to do just that, and Orlox turned away to conduct his business…but not before smirking in Isaac's direction.

"Milord?" Isaac inquired slowly.

Walter stopped and smiled wickedly up at Sophy, who gasped and moved as far away from him as the cage would allow.

"So sorry to hear about your daughter, my dear. Honestly, I expected her to make it here…especially with all the _help_ she's been receiving," he said, smiling at Isaac.

Sophy gasped, but Isaac fought to keep his face neutral.

"I…am unsure as to your meaning, Walter."

Now Walter's face contorted, going from a jovial countenance to a furious, feral snarl. He lifted his hand, balled into a fist, and brought it down across Isaac's right cheek. The force of the blow knocked the devil forgemaster to the ground and set his world spinning. When his sight cleared again, he gazed up, wide-eyed, at a still fuming Walter.

"Do not insult me, Isaac!" the vampire roared down at his bonded servant. "Do you not think that I knew? Knew that you were leaving to help the child! The only reason that you are yet living is because I am fond of a game. Having my own servant help the enemy heavily raised this game's entertainment value, but now I've grown bored. We are going ahead with the sacrifice."

"Milord, please! I simply wanted to speed her along! For your use!" Isaac lied quickly, raising to his feet.

"Spare me," Walter huffed, putting his back to him.

"But, if you'll not wait a bit longer, she might yet appear. I didn't see her die. And, if you wait, just a little longer—"

"Enough!" roared Walter again, as he whirled back on his servant.

There was a brief pause in which Isaac searched for the words that might convince Walter to wait to see if Ria was indeed dead. Sophy had pressed herself against the cage's bars, staring at Isaac, a hopeful gleam in her eyes. But it might be a false hope, he knew. Behind Walter, Orlox stood grinning at Isaac's failings. He had summoned the stone table again and had paused in his mixing of the necessary herbs. A foul stench was rising from the stone bowl that held the herbs he had already ground up, and that was what Isaac at first thought what Walter was scenting the air for when he saw the vampire's nose in the air. The master vampire mimicked breathing deeply, taking in whatever scent he was looking for. Then, he snarled.

"I _see_. That was how you were so able to question my authority. Well, it has no power here," Walter said pensively.

Isaac knew what it was he smelled, but before he could feign ignorance, Walter's fist came down across his face once more. This blow threw him back a few feet, and the devil forgemaster landed on his back, groaning and spitting blood. He leaned up on his elbows, and was startled by the sight he saw.

Walter's eyes were crimson and his fangs were fully extended. Sophy gasped.

"Stop it!" the woman cried. "Leave him alone!"

A part of Isaac found that funny. In all his days, he never thought he would hear someone of Belmont lineage plead on his behalf. He sat up now, eyeing Walter and noting, with much chagrin, that Orlox seemed to be having the time of his un-life.

"A blood bond. You've blood bonded with that child…yes, I can _smell_ her all over you. I will not tolerate this betrayal," Walter hissed.

The blood bond was still active? Was Ria yet living? Surely that was impossible! But if Walter could smell her on him…perhaps this was all just wishful thinking. Yes, it was more likely that it was only remnants of the blood bond. Shaking his head, he stared up at Walter, a scowl firmly in place. He saw his own death coming in the vampire's eyes and knew he was in no position to fight back.

"Blood bond with me or not, _milord_," Isaac spat from his place on the ground, "you'll never have my loyalty. Dracula is the true master of this castle and of the Crimson Stone you've stolen. He will defeat you."

Walter's hand began to move in the motions, Isaac recognized, that would summon a fireball. Isaac did not move from his place in the dirt, awaiting death. However, only moments after his defiant speech in favor of Dracula, the doors of the coliseum opened. All eyes within the room turned to stare at the newcomer. Sneering back at them, his arms still spread in the act of opening the double, stone doors, was Dracula. He let his arms drop and he stalked further into the room, a growl escaping his lips. Isaac moved from his place between Walter and the vampire king and pushed himself to his feet. Orlox stepped forward, his smirk growing into a grotesque grin.

"Ah, Dracula. How nice of you to join us," Walter said, smiling as one might do at a _welcomed_ guest.

"I've come for my Stone and my castle. You'll not stand in my way, Bernhard."

Isaac stepped, discreetly, backwards, coming up against the bottom edge of Sophy's cage. He felt the woman's hands come to rest gently on his shoulders through the bars.

"Could Ria really be alive?" she whispered.

Isaac tore his eyes away from the stand-off taking place between the two vampire lords and stared up at Sophy, to see that she had not bothered to take her eyes from the same spectacle to ask her question. Isaac trained his eyes back on Dracula and Walter as he answered, in full honesty, "I hope so."

"Milord, it would be my deepest honor to kill this usurper for you," Orlox said from his place at Walter's side.

Walter grinned. "That might be amusing. Make it quick, Orlox. We have our sacrifice to perform."

The crimson haired vampire stepped back, giving Dracula and Orlox a wide berth. Dracula shook his head and hissed, his fangs flashing a little.

"My betrayer," the vampire king said, taking a single step forward. "I shall enjoy destroying you."

Orlox said nothing in return. Instead, he simply extended his right arm out to his side, his clearly empty hand shaped as if he was holding a staff. A flash of oddly colored light emitted from said hand, and suddenly his hand was not so empty. Standing taller than the wizard-vampire, a thick, wooden pole made the staff that, at its top, had attached a finely sharp curved blade. Orlox brandished the weapon a few times before himself, his smile wide. Dracula's countenance was less cheerful.

"Death's scythe. I had wondered what had become of it after my escape. As I have wondered what has become of Death," Dracula said.

Orlox laughed. "We've trapped him in his own dimension, and, in reward for my loyalty, Walter honored me by allowing me the scythe. It's a marvelous weapon. I've yet to have the chance to test it out, though."

"Pity that that will still be the case."

At that, Dracula opened the folds of his cloak, calling forth large, black spheres of fire. Orlox sliced one in half with the scythe, causing it to dissipate, but handling the scythe must have been harder than it looked because he was forced to dodge the second one. The wizard-vampire rolled to the side on the ground, coming back up in time to take a swing at Dracula with the scythe. Dracula disappeared and reappeared behind him. He called forth more dark power and directed its wicked energy at Orlox. One of the energy bolts hit Orlox in the arm, causing his grip on the scythe to waver.

"How is this possible? You haven't got the Crimson Stone!" Orlox hissed, taking a few swings at Dracula, pushing him backwards.

"I was powerful even before I was a vampire," the vampire king replied simply. He growled a bit before he added, "I tire of this. Let's finish it."

Orlox lunged at his former master with the scythe, but during one of the swings, Dracula reached out and grabbed the weapon just below the blade. Orlox gasped and tried to pull it out of his hands, but in one mighty pull, Dracula now had control of his faithful confidant's signature weapon. Orlox leapt back, snarling.

Isaac took this moment to look about for Walter, wondering if he had taken the opportunity to escape. The devil forgemaster was surprised to learn that he had not. Instead, Walter was still watching the fight, like Isaac and Sophy was. Sophy was gripping the bars of her cage tightly, while Isaac was fighting the urge to help on behalf of Dracula. Now, the vampire king had the obvious advantage…and he knew it. With a grim smile, he swung the scythe. Orlox dodged again, rising up to his full height to summon…but the onlookers never got to find out what it was that he had been trying to summon.

The chance to strike was not lost on Dracula, and with a roar, he brought the scythe across, even with Orlox's neck. The gaunt, skeleton-like vampire's head flew across the room, turning to dust—like the rest of his body—before it hit the ground. Walter roared with anger as Dracula turned his focus on the crimson-haired vampire now. Isaac felt his legs twinge all of a sudden, and he reached for his Chauve-Souris, pulling it out to attack.

"Isaac, what are you doing?" Sophy said in outrage.

Walter's orders were surging up in him, and, try as he might to fight them down, he couldn't. He was about to lunge at the vampire king when Walter held up a lazy hand.

"That won't be necessary, Isaac. In fact, now that it's come to it, I'd like him to see me secure my hold on the Stone that should have been mine to begin with before I kill him," Walter said, taking a single step forward.

Instantly, Isaac's body relaxed, but he did not put away the weapon. Something told him he would need it soon. Dracula waved his scythe in front of him, ending the movement in a poise for attack. Walter chuckled and gestured for Dracula to make the first move. Dracula lunged for him, about to bring his weapon down over his adversary's head, when the Crimson Stone suddenly glowed. Dracula was stopped, frozen in place like a statue. Walter waved his hand, and Dracula flew across the room, losing the scythe along the way. He hit the wall behind him hard, sliding down its rough surface as Walter laughed.

"See how my hold is ever-growing, even before the sacrifice! All I must do is spill the blood of this Belmont, and all will be lost for you, Tepes," he said, putting his back to a very shocked Dracula.

He was coming for Sophy now. Isaac put himself between the cage's door and his bonded master. He held his spear out, horizontally, ready to attack. Walter chuckled.

"I know I can't fight you and win, Walter," Isaac began as Sophy let out a quavering gasp, "but I'm not about to give up without a fight. You've plans to kill me anyway, most likely. I will die trying to stop you from destroying my Lord Dracula's powers."

Walter was still chuckling, deliberately leaving himself open for attack. Isaac took a deep breath and started to charge forward when a voice from behind Walter stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Isaac, don't."

All eyes turned back to the doorway of the coliseum to see Ria standing there, her whip at the ready.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so about ten or so chapters ago, I was sitting here typing along when I thought, "Um…what did I do with Death's scythe?" So, here's that answer. I know this is shorter than some of the other chapters I've been posting, but I am really horrible with fight sequences. How was this one? Also, I will explain what happened to Ria, don't worry. Well, just two more updates to go! Please review!


	26. Finale

A/N- Thanks for the reviews! I finally have internet at my apartment! Whoo-hoo! Now, I hope everyone enjoys this one…only one more update after this!

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Chapter 25-Finale

She was bruised, with various cuts that were still bleeding—not as bad as some of her other wounds—but Ria was _there_. She stared around the room, her eyes finally coming to rest upon her mother. Sophy's eyes were so red that they gave the appearance of having been cried raw. But there was a bright smile on her face and her hands were reaching through the bars, as if Ria was just out of reach instead of actually being yards away from her. She appeared none the worse for wear, and for that, Ria was elated. Isaac was still halted in his steps, his spear still held horizontally in front of him. Dracula was crumpled against the wall just feet from Ria, Death's scythe having flown several feet away. And Walter was glaring his hardest at her. He looked simply _livid_.

With the brightest, widest smile she could muster, Ria took a few more steps into the arena room and said, "Hi, everyone! Miss me?"

Walter snarled, his eyes purely crimson and his fangs fully extended.

"Ria!" Sophy called to her daughter, straining against the bars.

"How is it possible?" Walter spat.

Ria continued her slow walk into the center of the arena—stopping just before her unorthodox audience. Her eyes drifted to her right where Sara was slowly advancing inward with her. Sara, of course, looked like she always had…not a hair out of place and not a wrinkle in her dress. Another one of those few perks of being a ghost, Ria supposed. Now, the whip-bound woman had her face set, her lips pressed tightly together, and she looked as if she was about to undertake the most serious of tasks. Ria turned her attention back to Walter.

"Anger really does do great wonders for my fighting skills," she said, deliberately being cryptic.

Isaac had taken a few steps back, standing now just behind Walter and just in front of Sophy's cage.

"What?" Walter growled.

Ria gave a short laugh. "Nothing. Something my trainer said once."

"How did you escape the snake?" Isaac asked, interrupting Walter, who seemed about to ask the same question.

Ria shrugged. "Not only does anger help my fighting skills…it apparently also helps my thinking skills. Oh, and for future reference, J.K. Rowling is a genius!"

Now the confusion was almost tangible. Ria continued.

"I saw the door closing and knew I couldn't make it in time. I also knew that our dear vampire king—" At this, she jerked a thumb back in Dracula's direction, "—and Isaac here would continue to try and stop you…which would by me the time I might need. I knew I wasn't ready to beat you. If I couldn't defeat a giant snake that had no magical powers…then I stood no chance of beating you. So, I shoved Isaac through the door and told him to come here. Now, here's where Ms. Rowling's genius comes into play.

"Having read _Chamber of Secrets_ came in handy. After a few minutes of dodging the snake and taking a couple of hits, it occurred to me to use my whip to blind it. Which I did. Then, I located a large stone button hidden behind some rocks to open the door and continued on my way here. It actually took me longer to find the button than it did for me to get away from the snake. So, FYI, you have a giant, _blind_, magically-enhanced snake now."

At the end of her story, Sara couldn't help but flash a bright smile at her pupil, while Sophy let out a loud, relieved sigh. Isaac shook his head, and Walter scoffed.

"It's a shame, then, that you will not live past this point…all you fought for will have been in vain."

Ria shook her head and took a stance with her whip. "I want to finish this."

Walter smirked. "With pleasure!"

He lunged at her as she struck out at him with the Vampire Killer. The blow caught him in the upper right arm, which caused him to snarl in pain but did not slow him down. Ria dropped and rolled out of his line of attack, pushing herself back to her feet and striking at the crimson haired vampire once again. He dodged her attack with a simple sidestep. Ria heard both Sophy and Sara gasp in unison.

"You are still not prepared to defeat me, child," Walter chuckled.

Ria tightened her grip on the whip and glared back at her opponent. "I'm not finished yet."

She struck out, aiming for the head, and he caught the whip in his hand. However, the holy properties of weapon instantly caused smoke to rise from the offending limb, and he released it with a yowl of pain. Ria lost no time and struck out again, landing the hit against the vampire's neck. She grinned.

"How does it feel to have _your_ neck attacked for once?" she remarked, leaping to the side as Walter came at her again.

He stopped a few feet from her. With a dark grin, he stretched out his arm, its hand turned palm-up. Ria's eyes widened as a fireball began to form there, and she was just barely able to duck under it and roll out of the way. She popped back up only to dodge another and another and another. Finally, she took a chance and quickly lashed out at the open palm, managing to slice it down its middle. Walter cried out and leapt at her, finally able to catch her around the neck and push her to the ground. He wrapped both hands about her and began to squeeze, slowly and slowly tightening his grip.

"Adriana!" Isaac called, about to rush forward.

"Don't you _dare_, Laforeze!" Walter snarled.

Isaac's advancement came to a screeching halt, and he groaned and grimaced, trying to will his feet move.

"What are you doing? Help her!" Sophy screamed from her perch.

"He can't, but I can," Dracula said, swooping down to knock Walter off of Ria.

She sat up, coughing, and watched as Walter rolled on the ground away from her. Dracula jerked Ria to her feet, letting go just moments before Walter recovered himself and sent the vampire king flying back against the wall Ria had seen him against when she had first entered the arena. Walter moved to throw Ria back in the same fashion, but found that the same power did not work on her.

"It must be that damned whip…" he growled.

Ria glanced at Sara, who nodded to confirm this fact. She put her eyes back upon Walter as the vampire attacked once more.

The fight continued in such a manner for a few more moments, each participant gaining and losing the advantage in turn. Finally, Ria struck out with the whip at Walter's right knee. The hit connected, but at the same moment, he had been lunging forward. With a swipe not unlike that which a cat might make while playing, his hand connected with Ria's and sent the whip flying from it. It landed somewhere out of Ria's line of vision, and Sara gasped. Walter collapsed to the ground, the wound to his knee appearing to be worse than it looked. Again, Ria attributed this to the power of the whip. She, meanwhile, was holding her hand against herself, amazed that, even through all the pain Walter's blow had caused, none of her fingers appeared broken.

"A draw?" Isaac asked quietly, though Ria was sure everyone had heard him.

Walter smirked. "But I'll recover much more quickly than our dear little Belmont girl. Especially since her little whip way over there."

He pointed with a chuckle to somewhere far behind Ria. Ria's eyes were wide as she started at the kneeling vampire. Without the whip, she stood no chance, and she could already see Walter's whip-inflicted wound healing. Even if she ran, he would be on her.

"Adriana, do something!" Isaac said, even as Walter began to make a wavering step towards standing.

The gleam of a nearby candle caught the Crimson Stone and threw its devilish red light into her face as Walter stood to tower over her. He laughed down at her. Suddenly, Ria grinned. It was all perfectly clear. There was _one_ way to still defeat him.

"Ria!" Sara cried, stepping forward.

Walter's eyes widened, his countenance actually looking a bit terrified.

"Sara?" he asked in disbelief.

"You're right, Walter. My whip is way over there…but I'm not out of tricks yet. Isaac!"

With the cry of his name, Ria held out her hand. Isaac did not hesitate. Whether it was the blood bond or maybe the devil forger had simply followed the same train of thought as she had, he lost no time. With a single toss, he threw the Chauve-Souris to Ria, who caught it in a swift move. Walter's eyes had just turned back to Ria as she shoved the tip of the monstrous spear into the heart of the Crimson Stone.

A bright flash of crimson light and a rush of wind issued from the stone. A sudden up-draft began around Walter's feet, the force of it so powerful that it blew at Ria's short locks, but she did not let go of the spear.

"Nooooo!" Walter cried as he began to disappear, feet first, as if he were dissolving into thin air. Finally, it all stopped, rather abruptly, and Walter was gone. The Crimson Stone fell to the floor, broken in two. Ria dropped the spear, her limbs shaking.

"Ria!" Sophy cried.

"Mom!" she replied back, rushing to the cage.

"Here, use this," Isaac said, approaching her from behind.

He had already retrieved his spear and sheathed it, and he held out the Vampire Killer for Ria to take. She snatched it, noting that Dracula was once again on his feet and was currently retrieving Death's scythe. Ria struck at the cage's lock, which broke and fell away easily. The doors flew open, and Sophy leapt down and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"Ria, Ria, you're alive! God, I was so _worried_!" she cried into Ria's shoulder.

"About me? But, Mom, you were the one kidnapped!"

She pushed back from her mother suddenly, holding the woman at arm's length.

"Mom, what I said, when you were taken, I didn't mean it…I—"

"Sssh, ssh," Sophy said, hugging her again. "It doesn't matter."

"Well, Miss Smith, you've done quite well," Dracula said, causing Ria to whirl around.

He was standing a few feet from the happy reunion, the holding the scythe vertically. Ria held tight to her whip and took a step forward, away from her mother.

"What now, Dracula? You know I can't just let you go on," Ria said.

Dracula laughed, shaking his head. "No, I suppose not. However, neither one of us are in the shape for fighting. Nor will we be for quite some time, I suppose. I have a castle full of supernatural creatures to bring back under my servitude. And you've wounds to heal. Besides, I am not an ungrateful creature. I can recognize when someone has done me a great help."

Ria wasn't sure she liked the sound of that last bit. She shrugged.

"So, what? I wait until you kill someone before I come back and fight you? Not going to work."

"No, I didn't think you would go for that. How about this, then. On my word…and trust me, I do _keep_ my word, I vow not to cause mayhem or despair for the period of one month. At such time, you may feel free to seek me out and attempt to destroy me. Is it a deal?'

"I will destroy you," Ria said, by way of correction. Dracula waved his hand dismissively.

"Yes, yes, fine. Do we have a deal?"

"You lied to me about being your son, you know. How do I know you won't back out of this?"

"I never gave you my word that I wasn't Alucard, now did I? However, I did give you my word that you would make it here, save your mother, and defeat Walter. Now, deal?"

Ria eyed the vampire king for a moment. Finally, she groaned. "Fine. Deal. Now, how the hell do my mother and I get out of here without dealing with more of your monsters?"

Before Dracula could answer, Sophy yelped. Ria whirled to find her mother staring in shock at the spot Sara was standing in.

"What is it?" Ria asked.

"How did she do that?" Sophy asked.

"How did who do what?" Isaac asked.

"The woman who was with Ria. The dark haired one…how did she go invisible? She's still here, I can feel her—as weird as that sounds—but I can't see her anymore!"

Ria exchanged glances with both Isaac and Sara before finally turning back to her mother.

"It must be because she _is_ a Belmont as well," Isaac said simply.

"What is? What is he talking about, Ria? And how did she do that?"

Ria shook her head, slowly turning back to Dracula. "I'll explain all that later, Mom. Promise. Now, you didn't answer my question, Dracula. Is there an easier way out of here?"

"I'm about to solve that problem for you, my dear," he said, turning to Isaac, who immediately feel to one knee. Ria rolled her eyes. "Get up, Isaac. You don't serve me anymore."

Isaac's eyes widened as he slowly stood, gazing hard at Dracula.

"I…I don't understand," he said. "All I have done, I have done to restore you!"

Dracula shook his head. "Including your blood bond with Ria."

Isaac blinked. Dracula continued.

"I knew I would lose you as a servant as soon as I requested that act from you. But it was necessary. I have given you many gifts that most mortals could never hope to have, Isaac, but I have never put a blood bond between us. Her orders vast outweigh my own in the chain of command now. Besides—" And here, Dracula paused and eyed Isaac meaningfully, causing Ria to arch a brow in confusion, "—something tells me that you've enough of servitude…and of life here in Castlevania."

Isaac gave a half-smirk and said, with a hint of dark humor, "I have longed to be my own man. This is…most generous of you, Dracula."

Dracula snarled. "Don't get used to it. I am merely rewarding a most faithful servant."

At that, he turned and continued, now addressing Ria once more.

"One month, Belmont. Do not forget…for I most certainly will not. I look forward to what is sure to be a quite…interesting battle."

Ria nodded, slipping an arm around her mother's shoulder. "Ditto. Isaac, could you teleport us home?"

Isaac nodded and stepped just in between Ria and Sophy. A flash of light gathering around the group's feet and rose, and Ria, with a blissful smile on her face, watched Castlevania disappear from her sight.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so how was that final battle with Walter? Now, I know Dracula seemed a bit…generous in the chapter, but believe me…he's got a mess to clean up, Ria's got a mess to clean up…he was just being practical. Okay, only the epilogue left! Details about the sequel will be found in that post. Thanks, and please review!


	27. Epilogue

A/N- Well, we've had a good run for this story. A fantastic thank you to all of my readers! I hope that you've all enjoyed this piece and will enjoy its sequels to come.

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_At fifteen I stopped scowling,_

_I desired my dust to be mingled with yours_

_Forever and forever and forever._

--From "The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter," by Li Po, translated by Ezra Pound

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Epilogue

The moon was full and high in the sky, shining down upon the dark forest below. In the distance, the howl of some creature sounded and seemed to encircle the forest. For a moon so bright, the forest was terribly dark, a single shadow being cast over it. The towers and walls of the evil castle loomed higher than the tallest tree, almost menacing down at the world below. There was no sound from the abyss-like moat that surrounded it and flowed under the currently lowered drawbridge. And at the end of the drawbridge, looking up at the demon castle known as Castlevania, was a girl.

Ria Smith felt herself growing a little dizzy as what she hoped was a simple wolf cried out in the distance. A slight, chilly breeze encircled her, causing her blonde hair to sway and the Vampire Killer—coiled and hooked to her belt—to knock likely against her outer thigh. Sara was not to be seen, but Ria didn't worry. She knew that her trainer, and friend, had simply retreated into the whip, as she did occasionally. She had been that way for most of the journey back to Castlevania, coming out only at the beginning of the forest, when Ria had once again broken through the barrier of Eternal Night. And even then, the two had not spoken. Sara had only smiled at her, encouragingly, anytime Ria's eye had drifted her way. As they drew nearer to the castle, the ghost woman had simply vanished. But Ria didn't worry about the absence. Sara was in the whip. Ria knew it.

Had the past month passed too quickly or too slowly? Ria wasn't sure, even now that it was over, and the time had finally come to face off against the vampire king himself. It had been such a strange passage of time, regardless of its speed. Life had been irrevocably changed for the young vampire huntress. She had known that it would, but she would have never guessed how much.

School was starting for her soon, a change that Ria knew would come even before she knew of this destiny of vampire hunting. It would be strange to be back in school after so much had happened, and to be going back in a new place…well, the thought made her stomach do a nervous shudder. But she knew it would come. And school was nothing compared to the other things that had occupied the month.

Isaac had transported them from Castlevania directly into the foyer of Belmont Manor after the final showdown with Walter. Sophy had taken a deep sigh upon seeing the mess of the place and declared that the group would rest that night…and clean first thing in the morning. And she had placed emphasis upon Ria helping, who was all too happy to do so. Anything was okay with her now that her mother was safe and sound…and that any big fights were at least a month away. Because, for all of his faults, Ria knew Dracula would keep to his word.

So, as Sophy was departing to bed, she had paused and remembered their "guest." Isaac, looking very lost, had simply stood in the middle of the foyer as mother and daughter had made repair—and randomly, school registration—plans that night. (It had been better than discussing what had just taken place…they would do so in the morning, when all were rested.) Isaac had coughed that awkward cough one does when they are not entirely sure they really belong and turned, announcing his departure. Sophy had exchanged a look with Ria, and then Ria had stepped forward.

"Where will you go?" she had asked.

Isaac had turned and shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Again, mother and daughter exchanged looks. Ria knew her mother's intention and stepped forward.

"You can stay here…if you want," Ria offered.

"We have plenty of room. It's no trouble," Sophy picked up.

"And since we have that whole blood bond thing, it might be better," Ria finished.

Isaac eyed them. "But…I have no real loyalty to either of you…and you would welcome me?"

Sophy shrugged. "You protected me, whether it was under orders or not. It's the least I can do is offer you a place to stay when you've nowhere else to go."

Isaac looked away from them, staring out into the darkness of the night. Ria shook her head.

"Please, Isaac. Stay," she said.

He turned, his eyes wide with surprise. Ria grinned.

"I'm not going to order you to…it's your choice."

Finally, Isaac smiled. "Very well. I'll stay. But I'm not sure for how long."

Sophy laughed. "That's your choice," then, with a pause, she added to Ria, "Honey, you're going to explain everything to me in the morning, right? Starting with this blood bond?"

Ria had laughed and assured her mother just that. Ria had set up Isaac's room—three doors down from her own—and the household had gone to bed. The next morning, Ria explained everything to a mother who was much more understanding than she had previously been. Ria supposed being the damsel in distress gives one a greater appreciation of the heroes. Sophy was still not entirely happy with the idea of her daughter risking her life each night against the evil undead…but she was coping by knowing it couldn't be helped.

The weeks that had followed were strange. Ria had registered for school somewhere in between repairing the damage done to the manor. Isaac had gone with them, but had waited in the car. Dinners for the first week were quiet affairs as far as Isaac was concerned. Ria and Sophy would chat about anything and everything…the way the family used to when Ria's father had been alive, but Isaac would simply listen. He made no comment upon anything, and was a silent worker in the house repairs…even employing his Innocent Devils for some of the more dangerous repairs. Ria was beginning to worry that he was feeling more like a prisoner than a guest…until one night, in the middle of his stay with them.

Ria had just dressed for bed…a comfy set of sweat pants and a tank top with a cute little bear upon them…when she had felt someone's eyes upon her. Sara, who had been with Ria as always the past week or so, had looked up to Ria's bedroom door.

"Isaac's here," she said, before vanishing.

Ria's eyes narrowed as she turned and jumped to see the crimson-haired devil forgemaster leaning against the doorway of her room.

"I don't understand it," he said, crossing his arms.

"Don't understand what?" she asked.

She had no fear of him. She knew all she had to do was order him to stop if he suddenly had the urge to attack her. However, he had shown no urge do…not in a very long time, it seemed.

"Circumstance, Adriana. I don't understand random circumstance. The events that lead people to the quality of person they are today. I've never understood it."

He pushed himself lazily off the threshold of her room and moved to stretch herself across her bed. Ria eyed the clock on the bedside table and rolled her eyes. This would be a lovely sight for her mother to see should she happen into her daughter's room at this hour. Ria crossed her arms and looked down at him.

"Deep thoughts at one in the morning. What brought this on?"

"Isn't this the time all deep thought comes from?" he asked with a slight chuckle. However, his countenance grew quite serious as he continued, "You and your mother brought this on. I don't understand it. The two of you were so angry towards one another before she was taken…and now…I'm assuming you've never been this close? How does one little kidnapping change all of that?"

Ria gave a hollow laugh. "First of all, when your mother is taken by a vampire who's trying to take over the world, that is no 'little' kidnapping. That's a very big, huge kidnapping. And second…I don't know. I guess that just made us realize some stuff that was between us that was dumb."

"Like what?"

Ria shrugged. "Secrets. Feelings that we hadn't shared. Stuff that was all forced out into the open the moment Walter decided to rear his ugly head."

"Like feelings about your father's death?"

Ria felt herself freeze. It was true that Sophy and she had discussed some issues that had arisen from Jared Smith's untimely death. But the two had made sure that they were private discussions. Isaac had been nowhere around, and Sara—out of her natural ability for courtesy—had made herself scarce. And Ria had never mentioned anything about her father in front of the forgemaster. Isaac now stared up at her with an almost apologetic look on his face.

"I've upset you?" he asked.

Ria shook her head, more to clear it, but also to reassure Isaac. "No, no. You just caught me off guard. How did you know about Dad?"

"I've heard his name…Jared, right?...come up at the dinner table. I hear the way he's spoken of. You and your mother loved him very much…his passing must have been hard for both of you."

Ria felt a tear snake down her cheek. Why was she crying? She had made her peace with her father, hadn't she? She found herself, almost against her will, sinking down onto her bed beside Isaac, who looked just as surprised by this reaction as she felt.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled. "It's just…I've always had to discuss Dad's death with someone who's felt it just as hard as me…I've never gotten a chance to discuss it with someone who didn't even know him…someone who could just listen instead of feeling the same exact pain. Is that selfish?"

"I don't think so."

There was a moment of silence…nothing but Ria's quiet sniffling. Finally, she felt a hand come to rest around her shoulders. She looked up at Isaac, who looked like Ria had always imagined the caveman who had first discovered fire must've looked like when the first flame had sprung forth in front of him. She choked down a laugh and fought the urge to rest her head on his shoulder. This moment was awkward enough.

"I'm sorry," Isaac said, quickly withdrawing his arm. "I'm…new to comforting someone."

Ria dried her eyes and smiled. "You did great, Isaac. You should keep up the practice."

He laughed. "You really think so? Think I could ever make it into the big leagues of comforting?"

Now Ria was just cracking up. "Do you even know what that phrase means?"

"I'm learning!"

Things, from that night on, had gotten only stranger…but in a good way. Isaac began taking active roles in everyday things, and Ria and Sophy were getting use to having him around. He was learning about the other side of the world, the side the Belmont family had always been a part of…creatures of the light. And Ria liked to think that Isaac was enjoying being in a world of light and warmth…instead of the darkness and cold he had always known. After a while, "guest" no longer applied to his presence at Belmont Manor. Somewhere along the past month, he had become a resident.

And then…time was up. The month had passed. Ria was almost sure that she and Sara had been the only two to keep up with the countdown. She had finished dinner with her mother and Isaac as she always had, and stood…only this time, she announced her departure for Castlevania. Sophy had looked alarmed, jumping to her feet, but she had said nothing. She couldn't stop her daughter, and everyone knew it. Dracula was a menace that had to be defeated. And Ria was the only one to do it. She had loaded up…taking most of what she had taken to fight Walter…sans phone…and had departed.

Ria's walk had been silent, but not lonely…even despite that fact that Sara had only made herself known at the beginning of Eternal Night. Ria had a sneaking suspicion that Sara had simply not wanted to watch as they made the approach to the castle again…an approach that the whip had made several times before…and each time, Ria was willing to bet, it had gotten no easier for her ghostly friend. But Sara would reappear inside the castle to guide her…because that was their friendship. She did not doubt it at the least.

Now, as she stood staring up at the castle, she shook her head as she heard the rustle of leaves behind her and saw the echo of a flash of light. Ria did not turn as Isaac walked up beside her and gazed up at the castle as well.

"What are you doing here, Isaac?" she asked. "I don't think Dracula will take you back."

She saw, out of the corner of her eye, Isaac turn and give her a genuine hurt expression.

"I haven't come for that, Adriana," he said. "I've come to help you."

Now she turned her full attention upon him. "Why?"

Isaac turned away from her gaze. He smiled grimly down at the darkened forest floor. When he looked back at her, he shrugged.

"I've never been a free man. It's always been a different master, but I've always been the slave. But with you…I've never felt that way. I've felt freer under this blood bond than…than I've ever been. I'm here to help you. To help you win…because I want you to. You've…been good to me…your mother and you both. All I wanted to do was use you both to meet my own ends. But you've continued to help me anyway. You're…too good to do this alone."

Ria eyed him for a moment, searching him for some ulterior motive. Finally, she came to a downright shocking realization. There was none. She smiled and nodded, turning to look into the arched doorway across the drawbridge. The gateway to Castlevania…and Dracula.

"Tell you what, Isaac. I'm not giving you any orders on this. Act of your own free will," she said.

"You…trust me?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Actually, no. This is a sort of test. We make it through this alive…with you doing no betrayals or whatever…side with Dracula or me…whoever you want…and—"

"And what?" Isaac pushed.

Ria turned to him and gave him her brightest smiles. "And you can call me Ria."

Isaac's eyes almost doubled in size. Then, finally, they reduced themselves and he nodded.

"Deal," he said.

"So," Ria asked after a moment, "do you think Dracula repaired the Crimson Stone?"

"Most likely."

"Let's find out."

And with that, the two made their way, with no hesitation, into Castlevania.

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End Notes: And, the end. Again, thank you to all my readers! I hope that you all will read the sequel, whose prologue I will put up, at least, by next weekend. It will go by the name Trials, and I hope you all will enjoy that one as much as you've enjoyed this one. Also, I apologize for the lack of Sara…she's around…this epilogue was just really about something else altogether. Well…until the sequel. Please review, and, yet again, thank you!


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